Harry Potter and Dumbledore's Army
by Tigerflesh
Summary: Guess who's back? Riley and Aria re-enter the lives of the students of Hogwarts as they return, join the D.A., and open up a whole new set of secrets and lies. We'll see just how they affect the lives of every student. Sequel to 'The FiWizard Tournament'.
1. Prologue

A/N: Thank you for making it as far as this story. Just so newcomers don't misunderstand, this IS NOT the premier of this story, but in fact, I am going through and updating every single chapter to correct the mistakes that I made before, and to add in places where I think it's necessary. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to R&R.

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Prologue

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Everything was dark and bleak on the London streets, silence filling the air. An elderly woman who was probably in her late seventies was making her way down First Street, heading home. Her name was Cordelia Montonero. A normal woman who you wouldn't have picked out from out of a old folks home, Cordelia made her way down the street, fumbling along while carrying her purse and a sack of groceries. She wasn't anyone special, just making her way home from the grocers. She was walking down the road toward her house when she thought she heard something. She looked around nervously, wondering if someone, or something, was in the dark waiting for her, or preparing to leap out. She looked from left to right and back again, only to feel her heart stop for a second when she felt something touch her ankle.

Cordelia looked down and smiled gently, relaxing somewhat when she saw a large black cat standing there, pawing out at her. It tilted its head to the side, and as it rubbed its side along Cordelia's leg, the old woman noticed that the cat was, in fact, a female.

"Well, aren't you a sweet thing?" Cordelia asked as she leaned over to bet the cat on the head. It began to purr as she did so. "Want to come home with me? I'm sure that I could find something for you to eat, and a warm place for you to sleep."

The cat let out a faint meow, but the purring was a good sign of pleasure. Cordelia stood up again and began to walk down the street, the cat following her as though it was a dog, following its master. When they reached the plan yellow house, which had a nice cobble stone path that led from the house to the street, the cat raced across the path and leapt up onto the front porch, turning around and waiting expectantly as Cordelia came over. When she reached the door, she began to fumble through her purse for her keys. She wasn't a very superstitious person, but events in London had recently made her wary of staying out too late and leaving her house unlocked.

Cordelia was searching for the keys in her purse when she heard a low, crackling voice say from behind her, "You know, I don't usually go for the aged meat."

Cordelia turned around, her eyes widening in fear when she saw a tall, lean man with scruffy hair, a lean, muscular body, and an ugly looking face with equally ugly looking scars all over it, walking toward her with his hands behind his back. As he spoke, she saw that his teeth weren't just teeth, but crooked fangs. He attempted what Cordelia would have normally guessed was a smile, and he began to speak again.

"But all of the tasty little children are asleep right now, and I'm _soo_ hungry."

"What, what would you like to eat?" Cordelia asked nervously as the man grew closer.

The man smiled down at her, over six feet tall and hovering over the tiny woman like she was an ant compared to an elephant. "Oh," he said in a somewhat pleasant voice, "I was thinking about grandmother cookies." He brushed the lady's hair back and leaned over to whisper, "They're so _sweet_."

The cat let out an unfriendly hiss and a yowl, its black fur rising on end and its teeth baring in an obvious threat as it unsheathed its claws and lashed its tail from one side to the other. The little old lady held onto her purse, holding it tightly against her chest as she closed her eyes, whimpering slightly in fear as the man drew closer, opening his mouth and preparing to bite down.

Then, all of a sudden, the man threw his head back and let out a yowl of anger and pain that didn't sound human, almost animal, even dog-like. He stumbled backward, reaching back over his shoulder to grab at something; as he turned around in an attempt to get a better grasp, Cordelia was shocked to see - not a dog - but a wolf, clinging onto the man's back, its teeth dug into his shoulder and its claws scoring into his back.

Cordelia let out a shaky wail as she ran into her house, locking the door behind her. It was as though she'd completely forgotten about the cat, who waited until she was gone before turning and leaping up onto the rail to watch the fight, its only movements afterward being the narrowing of eyes and flicking of tail from one side to another.

The man grabbed at the wolf, trying to claw at it, but all it did was grab handfuls of fur. The wolf growled without letting go of the man, continuing to claw at it furiously. The man finally grabbed a hold of the wolf by the scruff and with one movement, sent it flying off of his back and up against the railing, breaking through the wood.

The wolf crashed through the wood, landing on the porch with a yelp of surprise and pain. It began to get to its paws, shaking its head as it was disoriented by the fall. The cat meowed in disapproval, and the wolf growled threateningly at it before walking off of the porch, position itself between the cat and the man. The wolf pinned its ears back and bore its fangs, which, along with the wolf's claws, were covered in the man's dark, dark red blood, a blood that was clearly not from a human.

The man narrowed his eyes and spat distastefully, "Fine, I'll find somewhere else to feed." His eyes blazed furiously as he said in a clear threat, "But watch out, bitch, 'cause one of these days, when your back's turned, I'm going to rip those barking lungs right from your throat, and pull your fangs right out of your mouth and wear them as trophies."

The wolf's only response was to bark several times, its fur bristling threateningly. Her lips remained drawn back, revealing the blood-stained fangs that suggested she was willing to go another ten rounds. The man merely spat in anger before turning around and limping away, blood still oozing from the wounds all over his back.

Once he was gone, the wolf shook its body, wooden splinters dropping from its black coat. It looked around to make sure that the old woman had turned the house lights off. Once it was sure that they were, the dog hesitated, and then leapt into the air and instantly turned into a human. Brown hair fell down the person's back as they craned their neck, waving their arms back and forth and wincing from the pain. She was wearing a black leather vest and pants with a red tanktop on underneath, a black leather bracelet covering her right forearm and hiding what was beneath. She had a few scratches and bleeding wounds across her body, but nothing serious.

"Man, he _really_ did a number on me this time," the girl muttered, her teeth clenched in pain as she ran her left hand over her aching right shoulder. "I'm going to feel _these_ bruises for _days_." She heard a growl and looked back to glare at the cat, who blinked and looked away. She narrowed her eyes and said in annoyance, "Who are _you_ to judge _me_? You just have to _sit_ there while _I_ do the fighting."

The cat looked from side to side, like a kid at a crosswalk; deciding that it was safe, the cat looked forward again before leaping off of the railing, instantly transforming into a human girl with dark skin and black hair to match hers as a cat. She was wearing a black tanktop and low-riding black jeans. She folded her arms and shifted her weight to one side as she pointed out, "I get the Muggles home safely." She scoffed and added with a smirk, "Like they'd trust a _wolf_."

The first girl rolled her eyes and spat the blood in her mouth out on the grass. "I am so sick of the taste of blood, it's not funny," she said with a disgusted look and twist of her face. "How that bastard ever grew to love the taste, I will _never_ know."

"That's a werewolf for you," the second girl said with a dismissive roll of her eyes. "Can't ever hope to understand the way they think or operate."

"No," the first girl said, shaking her head. She pointed in the direction that the man had disappeared, saying in disgust, "Werewolves are not like that. _That_ man is an entirely different species unto his own. It's disgusting." She held her hands up so that she could get a better look at them, only to see that they were completely covered in the man's blood. She groaned and said in an almost whining tone, "And see? I'll _never_ get the smell out now."

The second girl smiled and nodded. "Can't argue with that, but at least _I_ don't have to sleep with that smell right under my nose."

"Shut up, Aria," the first girl said, shoving her friend with her elbow.

Aria laughed as she regained her footing. "Bossy as always," she teased, her eyes dancing in laughter. "Not even London will be able to change that about you, Riley."

Riley smiled and opened her mouth to speak, blood still covering her fangs as she said, "Oh, yeah. It's good to be back."

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A/N: Yeah, I think this is the first time that I admit right-out that Aria is an Animagus, but yeah, she's a black cat, as you can tell. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this. ^^ Please R&R


	2. Chapter 1: The Train Ride To Hogwarts

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter One: Train Ride To Hogwarts

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"Nice dog, Harry!" called a tall boy with dreadlocks as he passed Harry on his way down the way to the train.

Harry smiled over at the boy, unable to stop from grinning as he referred to Sirius in his dog form. "Thanks, Lee," he said, grinning uncontrollably as Sirius wagged his tail like any happy dog, thought he look in Sirius's eyes was 100% human. Harry could practically see the laughter in his eyes, a laughter that was completely unique to Sirius, even in his human form.

Harry and the Weasleys were at the train station, preparing to leave. Mad-eye, Mrs. Weasley and Tonks had all come with the kids as a form of protection against Voldemort, seemed to think that it was likely for the dark wizard to come jumping out of nowhere and kill Harry in public.

"Oh good," said Mrs. Weasley, sounding relief. "Here's Alistor with the luggage. Look."

A porter's cap pulled low over his mismatched eyes, Moody came limping through the archway pushing a cart full of their trunks. "All okay," he muttered to Mrs. Weasley and Tonks. "Don't think we were followed..."

Seconds later, Mr. Weasley emerged onto the platform with Ron and Hermione. They had almost unloaded Moody's luggage cart when Fred, George and Ginny turned up with Lupin.

"No trouble?" growled Moody.

"Nothing," Lupin said with a shake of his head. "We're all good to go here."

"I'll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore," Moody grunted in satisfaction. "That's the second time he's not turned up in a week. Getting as unreliable as Mundungus."

"Well, look after yourselves," said Lupin, shaking hands all round. He reached Harry last and gave him a slap on the shoulder. "You too, Harry. Be careful."

"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled," said Moody, shaking Harry's hand too. "And don't forget, all of you – careful what you put in writing. If in no doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."

"It's been great meeting all of you," Tonks said with a bright smile as she hugged Hermione and Ginny. "We'll see you soon, I expect."

A warning whistle sounded, warning everyone just how little time they had left before they had to be on their way. Sensing the urgency, the students still on the platform started hurrying onto the train, those that stayed behind doing so just long enough to finish saying goodbye to their friends and family that wouldn't be joining them at Hogwarts.

"Quick, quick," said Mrs. Weasley distractedly, hugging them at random and catching Harry twice. "Write... Be good... If you've forgotten anything, we'll send it on... Onto the train, now. Hurry!"

For one brief moment, the great black dog reared onto its hind legs and placed its front paws on Harry's shoulders, but Mrs. Weasley shoved Harry away toward the train door hissing, "For heaven's sakes, act more like a dog, Sirius!"

"See you!" Harry called out of the open window as the train began to move, while Ron, Hermione and Ginny waved beside him. The figures of Tonks, Lupin, Moody and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shrank rapidly but the black dog was bounding alongside the window, wagging its tail; blurred people on the platform were laughing to see it chasing the train, and then they turned the corner, and Sirius was gone.

"He shouldn't have come with us," said Hermione in a worried voice as she, Ron and Harry looked hesitantly at one another. "He's putting himself in so much danger by coming out... He could have been recognized, and potentially thrown back in -"

"Oh, lighten up," Ron said with a roll of his eyes. "He hasn't seen daylight for months, poor bloke. What's wrong with him getting out once in a while to get a look at the world? It's not like he's allowed to be a part of it anymore."

Harry didn't say it aloud, but he completely agreed with Ron. He hated the idea of Sirius being locked up inside of Grimmuald Place so much, and as he'd wanted Sirius to come and say goodbye to him at the train station, it made Harry happy to see him out in the world again.

Instead of dwelling on his disappointment any longer, Harry and his friends walked further into the train, stopping to look around at the cramped aisle, which seemed to be full with students running around in a hurry, just trying to find a place that they could sit down. Fred, George and Lee were all standing together, having watched as their friends and siblings waved goodbye to their family. Now that they were gone from sight, the three seemed to have no issue with returning to their normal state of mischief.

"Well," said Fred, clapping his hands together as he looked back, "Can't stand around chatting all day. We've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later."

He was about to turn, along with George, when a female voice said in a taunting sweetness, "Oh? You can't stay for even a minute?"

A second female voice said sweetly, "Even for old friends?"

Everyone froze, Harry included. He recognized the two voices, but hadn't thought he'd ever hear them again for as long as he lived. Sure that he'd made a mistake, Harry slowly turned his head; his eyes widened with surprise and alarm when he saw two girls standing less than five feet away, one leaning against one of the compartments with her arms folded. She had pale white skin, piercing blue-grey eyes, and long, flowing brown hair. She was wearing a black leather vest that was only partially zipped up, a white, exposive tanktop, blue jeans and black sandals. The other girl had darker skin, long black hair, and brown eyes that sparkled in amusement. _She_ was wearing a black shirt and a grey zip-up jacket with blue jeans and grey sneakers.

"Oh, my, gosh," Harry said, each word separate and said with disbelief. He could hardly believe that what he was seeing was real, and for a single moment of insanity, Harry wondered if he was hallucinating.

Riley and Aria.

The previous year, during the TriWizard Tournament, a fourth school had come and participated for the first time: Silvergates Academy, who had traveled all the way from America in order to compete. Riley, almost seventeen-years-old now, had been too young to compete at the time, but one of her classmates had turned in her name for consideration, and somehow, she had been chosen as their Champion. Aria, her best friend, who was also sixteen now, was a master at Potions and a genius in many other areas. She'd helped Riley through the year, but over the course of time, Harry had become good friends with both of them, especially Riley. He'd been sad when they'd had to leave after Cedric Diggory's death, as had many others.

"Hi, guys," the girl with brown hair said, a smirk on her face and amusement in her eyes.

"Riley! Aria!" George exclaimed, looking just as shocked as Harry felt. However, he didn't stand around and gawk like his brothers and friends, but instead walked over and hugged the girls: Riley – the girl with brown hair – first, and Aria second. His hug with Riley was quick, but he held onto Aria much tighter, his hug much longer and more intimate than the first.

Harry couldn't help but smile as he watched, a smile of disbelief and happiness. Last year, Aria and George had come extremely close, to the point where many of the Gryffindors had expected them to date. But in the end, they had chosen not to because the Silvergates students would be leaving and not returning, or so they'd thought.

Harry looked past George and Aria, and saw Riley standing there with a smile of amusement on her face. Her blue eyes sparkled in a knowing amusement, her eyes glancing up to connect with Harry's. Looking into her eyes, Harry felt a familiar feeling of happiness and exhilaration, the kind of feeling that made him want to laugh forever and do anything and everything all at once; a particular combination of emotions that Harry hadn't felt since before the final task the year before, before Cedric had died and when Riley and Harry had become closer than ever. He wasn't attracted to her romantically, but instead thought of her as best friend material, like a sister who he could get into trouble with and have a blast at the same time.

"I don't believe it," Ginny said in disbelief as she walked up and hugged Riley. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Going to school, same as you guys," Aria said with a smile.

"_You two_ are attending Hogwarts now?" Fred asked in disbelief, speaking up for the first time. His eyes were rested solely on Riley, looking as though he'd just had the wind knocked out of him.

"What about Silvergates?" Hermione asked, voicing Harry's thoughts with equal confusion.

Riley and Aria both frowned, but it was Riley that said in a serious voice, "Didn't work out there. Dumbledore offered us a chance to come here, and we accepted."

Harry frowned, knowing what Riley meant by that. She'd been expelled. He couldn't imagine what for, but he knew it; just like he knew that Riley had been expelled from Durmstrang Institute in Bulgaria, one of the schools who had competed in the TriWizard Tournament. When she'd been expelled and sent to America, Aria - who had been attending Beauxbatons Academy in France - had gone back with her. They were best friends and inseparable.

"So, what classes are you guys in?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Fifth Year," Riley said with a smile, looking right at Fred, where her eyes had been pretty much since they'd gotten on the train.

"_Fifth_ Year?" Ginny exclaimed in disbelief. "You should be in your sixth or seventh year, shouldn't you?"

"We probably could have," Riley admitted with a dismissive shrug of her shoulders. "But we had the choice, and we figured that instead of being alone in our Sixth Year with a bunch of people that we don't know, we'd hang with you guys in fifth."

"But won't you be of age in a few months?" Hermione asked, looking at Riley curiously.

Riley looked at Hermione and smiled as she said, "Yeah, _I_ will be, but Aria won't be until this coming summer. Still, I want to get in all the learning I can."

"Me, too," Aria said, with a smile up at George.

Harry looked between Riley and Fred, somewhat surprised at the cold expression that Fred had on his face. He and Riley had gotten almost as close last year as George and Aria had, the only problem having been that Draco Malfoy had _also_ been interested in Riley. There had been a huge ordeal about it in the most widely-read paper in London, thanks to the rat Rita Skeeter, and even though Riley and Fred had gone to the Yule Ball together, everyone had assumed by the end of the year that Riley and Malfoy were dating. Still, Harry knew that if it had come down to a choice, Riley would have chosen Fred over Draco any idea; but after the tournament she had left, leaving behind both boys without making a decision, out of a belief that she'd never see them again. It had been tough on all of them, especially Fred and George, from what Harry had seen. Riley's expression was warm, whereas Fred's was cold.

No one else seeming to notice what Harry was seeing, George asked, "So what Houses are you guys in?"

"Gryffindor, with you guys," Aria said with a smile.

"_I'm_ in Slytherin," Riley said, and Harry glanced over to see Fred's eyes flash with alarm, not that he said anything.

"_Slytherin?_" Ron asked with contempt. "Why Slytherin? Did you choose your own House?"

Riley shook her head and glanced over at Ron. "No, we had the Sorting Hat choose. Wasn't easy, though. It took forever, but it finally chose, and I'm fine with the choices."

"Why did it take so long?" Harry asked curiously.

Riley shrugged and said, "I don't know, but there's more." She smiled proudly and added, "I'm Slytherin's Prefect."

"_What?_" everyone in the group yelled, surprising Riley and making her jump slightly, her eyes wide in alarm. Hermione exclaimed, "How can you be a Prefect when you've just arrived?"

"Well," Aria said awkwardly. "It's not quite 'just'."

"What do you mean?" George asked, looking at her in confusion.

Aria hesitated, glancing over at Riley before looking back and saying with a shrug, "We've been here for almost two months."

"Since the beginning of the summer?" Fred asked in disbelief, looking at Riley through narrowed, challenging eyes.

Riley nodded and said, "We went back home, then came back before the end of June. We've been living at Hogwarts for the past month or so. The only reason we went to London was to get school supplies. That, and I needed to get food for Sunny."

"Who?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Her owl," Fred explained.

"Oh," Ron said, sounding surprised and confused. "Wait, I didn't know you had an owl."

"Ron, how thick are you?" George asked in surprise, looking at his brother. "You didn't notice that small golden-brown owl flying by our house every other day?"

Ron blushed in embarrassment.

"Hey, Riley, can I talk to you for a minute?" Fred asked, looking at Riley.

Riley blinked in surprise and said, "Yeah, no problem."

The two walked off further down the aisle, away from probing ears. Harry raised an eyebrow as he watched them. To his surprise, Fred hadn't seemed the least bit happy that Riley was back. Why? Had something happened between them? He looked over at Ginny and saw his own feelings reflected on her face. What was going on? Was it not good that they were back?


	3. Chapter 2: Back Where We Left Off

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Two: Back Where We Left Off

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Fred and Riley continued to walk down the aisle until they were completely alone. Riley had a feeling that she knew what he wanted to talk to her about, but she couldn't be positive. Even so, she folded her arms, waiting patiently as Fred led her away. When he stopped, Fred set his hands backwards on his hips, looking away while his eyes were filled with deep thought. He didn't say anything for several moments, leaving Riley in deep silence.

"What's up?" Riley asked curiously as Fred turned to face her.

"You never mentioned this in any of your letters," Fred said, setting a hand on the aisle wall and looking at Riley in surprise. "For the past three months, we've been writing each other almost non-stop and you _never once_ mentioned coming to London or getting expelled; _not_ _a_ _word,_ and now you just show up?"

Riley frowned, uncomfortable at the fact that Fred knew that she'd been expelled without ever having said it aloud. She admitted, "I was hoping to wait as long as possible before telling _anyone_."

"And after the way last year ended, you don't think I'd want to hear the good news?" Fred asked in disbelief, sounding almost offended.

"That I'd been expelled?" Riley asked in surprise.

"That you're coming to Hogwarts," Fred corrected her. "That you've been in London for the past two months."

Riley shrugged and said, "Didn't see the reason to get you worked up."

"Right, because finding out this way is _so_ much better," Fred said sarcastically.

"Did I do something wrong?" Riley asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion. "Because I feel like you're mad at me for something, when I was actually hoping that you'd be _happy _that I'm enrolled at Hogwarts now. Did I misunderstand something?" Fred frowned, pinching between his eyes with his free hand as he closed his eyes. Riley frowned as she looked at him, lowering her head as he did the same thing. "I guess I did," Riley admitted under her breath before she began to turn away.

Riley was overwhelmed with surprise when she felt Fred grab her by the upper arm, pulling her back and slamming her against the wall. She looked up at him in time to see him position himself between her and the aisle, though he was still looking down with an expression of distress on his face, his eyes still closed. He stood with his left hand pressed on the wall behind her, his hand almost right against her head as he stood in a very possessive stance, clearly not having any intention of letting her just walk away.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong," Fred said with a sigh as he reached up with one hand, running it over his eyes. "I _am _happy to see you. I'm _really _glad that you've come to Hogwarts. I wanted this all summer, not to mention all of last year," he admitted as he looked up and to the side. "It's just-"

"_Riley_?"

Riley turned her head and smiled with delight when she saw Draco Malfoy standing about ten compartments down, looking at her with surprise and delight on his face. Pansy Parkinson was with him, looking just as surprised. Fred pulled his hand off of the wall, standing up straight and setting his hand in his pocket as he looked down at the ground awkwardly.

Draco walked over and hugged Riley, saying, "What on earth are you doing here?"

Riley smiled as she hugged Draco back, watching him as she pulled back. "I'm heading to school, just like the rest of you guys," she admitted again.

"You're coming to Hogwarts?" Pansy asked as she walked up, sounding just as surprised as Fred had. "For good?"

"That's the idea," Riley said with a smile, glancing at Fred for a second before looking back at Pansy and Draco and saying, "I'm in Slytherin with you guys, a fifth year."

"Really?" Draco said, sounding surprised and pleased.

"And I'm also a Prefect," Riley said.

"_What?_" Pansy exclaimed in disbelief.

"That's amazing," Draco said in surprise. "I'm Slytherin's Prefect, also. We were wondering why Pansy didn't get chosen, but I guess that this explains it."

"Guess so," Riley said shrugging.

"Wait, aren't you almost seventeen?" Pansy asked in surprise. "Why are you in Fifth Year instead of Sixth or Seventh?"

Riley nodded and said, "Yeah, I am, but Dumbledore's Dumbledore. I never ask why he does the things he does."

Draco set his hand lightly on Riley's upper arm and said, "Well, I've got to head over to the Prefect's compartment. Want to come?"

Riley hesitated, and then said, "I wanna finish talking to Fred first, but then I'll meet you there."

Draco looked at Fred with a blank expression, then back at Riley and nodded, saying, "Yeah, all right. I'll see you soon. I want to hear all about your summer." With that, he began to walk away, leading Pansy away with him.

"Wow," Fred said once Draco and Pansy were gone.

"Yeah," Riley said awkwardly.

"I see we're right back where we left off last year," Fred said awkwardly.

Riley frowned, looking down as she said, "I guess so." She knew what Fred meant by that, about them and Draco. She hesitated, and then asked, "Are you okay? Do you not want me here?"

"No, that's not it at all," Fred admitted. "I'm just surprised, and kind of confused. I see, though, that you didn't tell _him_, either."

"Draco?" Riley asked, looking in the direction that Draco had disappeared in. "No, I didn't tell him."

"You've been writing him, too, though, right?" Fred asked.

Riley shrugged and said, "Well, yeah. I've written him almost every day, just like I did with you."

"You interested in him?" Fred asked curiously.

Riley shook her head. "We're not dating, if that's what you're getting at, but I _do_ know that _he_ is interested in dating me." Fred didn't say anything, but shrugged. Riley rolled her eyes and said clearly, "When I left, I tied up all loose ends, including the ones with _him_." She saw Fred's eyes flicker, and she knew what he was thinking. She didn't say anything about it, but said, "I guess he's probably going to try to untie them again."

"Seems like it," Fred agreed in a cold voice.

Riley smiled as a thought suddenly popped into her head. Before she voiced it, she asked, "Are we okay, Fred? Really?"

Fred forced a smile and reached out with a hand to wrap Riley in a hug. "Yeah, we're okay," he said in an exhausted tone.

Riley hugged him back, grateful for the sign of peace and friendship again. As she pulled away, she asked, "You notice all of the letters between Aria and George? They outdid even _us_."

Fred chuckled and rolled his eyes as he said, "Yeah, it was _kind_ _of_ _hard_ to miss. Pigwidgeon was flying back and forth from the house so often that I thought the poor bird would die from a heart attack."

"How long do you think it will be before those two finally date?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Oh, I don't know," Fred said, sighing as he leaned back against one of the compartment doors, his hands behind him. "Now that you two are here in London, and there isn't three miles in distance..." He smiled, his eyes twinkling in amusement as he said, "I give it until Christmas."

"I say Valentine's Day," Riley said, a knowing smirk on her face. "Those two are too oblivious to do it any sooner."

"Wanna put a wager on that?" Fred asked, an eyebrow raised and a smile on his face.

"You're on," Riley said in a challenging, but good-natured tone. "I win, you have to actually _try_ on your N.E.W.T.S. You'll have to study, pass all of your classes, and pass them."

Fred rolled his eyes and sighed as he said in defeat, "All right." His eyes twinkled in amusement and he said, "If I win, you owe me."

"'Owe you' what?" Riley asked as she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Fred stood up and walked by Riley, whispering in her ear, "I'll figure that out when I win."

"_Oooh!_" Riley laughed as she watched Fred make his way down the aisle. With that, she turned and walked toward the Prefect's compartment, where she found Draco sitting with six other kids.

"Riley!" a girl that Riley recognized as Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff, a friend of Cedric's that she'd met shortly before the Tournament had ended last year, said in a surprised tone.

"Hi, Hannah," Riley said as she closed the door behind her.

Hannah blinked in surprise and said, "I'm surprised you remember me."

Riley smiled in amusement and said, "I remember just about everyone that I met last year." She nodded to the others in the room. "Ernie," she said to the other Hufflepuff. She looked at the two others in the room that Riley guessed were from Ravenclaw, and she said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid that I don't know you two."

"I'm Anthony Goldstein," the boy said, holding a hand out to Riley. "You were fantastic last year, some fabulous Transfiguration work and Charms."

"Thank you," Riley said, somewhat embarrassed.

"And I'm Padma Patil," the girl said.

"Parvati's sister?" Riley asked in surprise. The girl looked surprised, and Riley explained, "I spent a lot of time with the Gryffindors this last year."

"And Slytherin," Draco pointed out.

Riley smiled as she sat down beside Draco, nodding. "Yes, and Slytherin."

"I didn't know you were coming to Hogwarts," Hannah said in surprise, looking at Riley with interest.

Riley crossed her legs, conscious of Draco setting his arm on the top of the seat behind her. She smiled at Hannah, also conscious of the look of alarm and outrage in Ron's eyes, and Hermione trying not to slug Draco. She wasn't crazy about it, but she knew that this wasn't the best time to get into a confrontation with Draco and her friends from Gryffindor.

"Well, I wasn't exactly planning on coming here this year," Riley explained. "But Dumbledore made me an offer this last year, saying that if I ever wanted to come to Hogwarts, I was more than welcome."

"And now you're a Prefect?" Anthony asked in surprise, his eyes filled with almost dislike. "That's unusual."

Riley shrugged and said, "I don't know what, but I must have done something right."

"What classes will you be taking this year?" Padma asked curiously. "After all, aren't you older than most of the fifth years?"

Riley reached up and brushed her grown-out bangs out of her face, tucking them behind her ears. "Yes, I'm sixteen, seventeen in two months, and I'll probably be taking double Potions and Transfigurations, but beyond that, I'm not sure."

"I hope that Professor Grumbly-Plank returns this year," Padma said hopefully. "I thought she did really well last year."

"What about Hagrid?" Hermione asked defensively. "He's a good teacher."

"Yeah, if you like oafs who lump around like giant barrels of fat, introducing us to monsters who could kill you in a heartbeat," Draco sneered.

Riley glared back at Draco in dislike before saying in a cold voice, "Whether you like it or not, Hagrid is your teacher, so learn some respect. You're a Prefect now, which means that you're going to need to show a level of respect to the teachers, even if you don't like them." She saw Draco's eyes flash with surprise, and she could hear Padma, Anthony and Ron cough slightly in disbelief. She knew that Draco wasn't Hagrid's biggest fan in any shape or form, but she firmly believed that he could be a good Prefect, if he tried.

Draco didn't say anything, but continued smiling at her, his eyes filled with some hidden amusement that he was clearly not going to voice aloud. Hermione stood up and said, "Well, I'm going to go get changed before we reach Hogwarts." She looked Riley up and down and said, "It's probably best that you do the same thing." With that, she walked out of the compartment.

"Yeah," Riley said, smiling after Hermione. She watched as Ron walked out.

"Hey, how is the owl, by the way?" Draco asked, looking at Riley.

Riley smiled and asked, "Sunny? She's good. Got a lot of flying in this summer, going from place to place, even when I came to England."

Sunny was the golden brown and white owl that Draco had bought Riley. When she'd returned to Silvergates, she'd found Sunny waiting there, nameless and little more than a baby. She was good and almost full-grown now, and a beautiful owl, though not as snowy as Hedwig. Still, she was full of personality and extremely smart.

For the next two hours, Riley talked with the other Prefects, laughing with them. At one point, she and the others made their way out and spoke to Harry and a fourth-year blonde girl named Luna Lovegood. Riley recognized her from the previous year when she'd seen Aaron spending so much time with a girl from Ravenclaw, the same House Luna was from. Still, Riley changed right after an attendant said aloud that they had half an hour until they reached Hogwarts. She took her backpack and walked to the bathroom, only to change into Slytherin robes, a sweater-vest, white shirt and black pants that matched her sweater-vest.

"Well, that's a look we don't see often."

Riley turned her head and smiled when she saw Draco walking over with a tall, lean and skinny looking guy. He was wiry, and not all that good looking. Draco nodded to the guy and said, "Riley, this is Montague, Slytherin's Quidditch Captain. Montague, this is Riley O'Malley."

"I remember," Montague said with a nod to Riley. "Silvergates Champion; second in the TriWizard Tournament."

"I remember you, as well," Riley said, nodding to Montague. "I spent a good deal of time with your Quidditch team last year, just goofing off."

"That was goofing off?" Montague asked, raising a skinny dark eyebrow with curiosity. "If I remember correctly, you were a hell of a Beater."

"Still am," Riley said with a smile.

Montague smirked and said, "Need to get you up on a broom again, if you'll try out for us."

"Definitely," Riley said with a smile. "Just tell me when and I'll be there."

Montague nodded and walked off, leaving Riley and Draco to walk back to the compartment. They sat down, and all began talking again, though Hermione and Ron hadn't returned.

"I hope that the O.W.L.s aren't too hard," Padma said anxiously.

"That's right," Riley said with a smile. "We have O.W.L.s this year, don't we?"

"Yeah," Hannah said, nodding calmly. "All fifth years do, but it's not until close to the end of the year."

"At least we'll have plenty of time to study," Ernie pointed out.

Riley shrugged and said, "There's no point in cramming, Ernie." She saw everyone look at her with surprise, except for Draco, – whose arm had mysteriously worked its way to the top of the seat behind her again – who just looked at her with interest. Riley explained, "I'm not saying that you shouldn't work hard this year. I'm saying that when the time comes to start studying for the O.W.L.s, that you don't work hard. What I'm saying is that don't try to cram everything into your brain within a month that you've learned in five years, because it's not going to happen." She shrugged and said, "Trust your gut. If you think you know an answer, or if you think you know how to do it, don't question yourself ten times over before acting."

"I'm not sure that I..."

"Everyone's different, Ernie," Hannah said, looking at her friend. "Riley's right, for some people." She shrugged and said, "_I'm_ that kind of person, who doesn't run around studying my brain out. I don't find it productive."

Riley suddenly heard the sound of the train horn blowing, and she heard Hannah say aloud while standing up, "We're here." She grabbed her small trunk from above, as did Ernie, Padma and Anthony. Hannah walked over to the door, looked back and said with a smile, "Good to meet you, Riley, really. Look forward to seeing you in classes this year. Don't take too long." With that, they walked out, leaving Riley and Draco to stand up.

"Well, that wasn't _too_ boring," Draco said as he grabbed his trunk.

"Do you always have to be such a pessimist, and so cynical?" Riley asked, looking at Draco. She backed up, a small trunk in her right hand, her backpack slung over her shoulder so that it lay at her left side, and she leaned against the compartment window.

Draco smiled over at Riley, an eyebrow raised curiously. "Do you care?"

Riley rolled her eyes and sighed, looking away until she looked back at Draco, who was obviously waiting for an answer, his smile still on his face. "Yes," she admitted. "I _do_ care."

Draco smiled and walked right up to Riley so that he was only an inch or so from her face. He looked her in the eyes and said, "I know." With that, he surprised Riley beyond all comparison by leaning forward and kissing her on the forehead, only to pull away instantly and walk out of the compartment without saying another word.

Riley stood there, completely stunned as Draco walked out of the compartment. Once he was gone, she rolled her eyes and reached up with a hand to hold her head, which she felt spinning. She then groaned and turned to walk out of the compartment, slamming the door behind her.


	4. Chapter 3: The Sorting Hat's New Song

A/N: Now, for this chapter, I would like to give a shout out and yell 'YAHOOOOO!' because my last book just hit 5,000 hits! That's AWESOME! But also, I'd like to thank Snoball for keeping an interest in my story and continually giving input. Now, I'm afraid that the Sorting Hat's song is going to be the same, but keep your eyes on this, because this chapter will start to give an explanation as to why Riley was expelled. But the full-out explanation doesn't arrive until Chapter Eight, I think it is. Anyway, please R&R!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

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Chapter Three: The Sorting Hat's New Song

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Harry couldn't believe it. He'd tried running the memories over in his head, and he just couldn't believe it. Riley and Aria were at Hogwarts, _to stay!_ He and his friends had hoped that it would happen, but in all reality, Harry had never thought that it would. He couldn't imagine how or why Riley would have gotten expelled for a second time, especially since she placed second in the TriWizard Tournament. Still, his emotions were caught somewhere between surprised, amazed and thrilled. He'd gotten along really well with the girls last year, especially Riley, seeing as she was the one that he could relate to the most.

Riley was a year and a half older than Harry and his friends, several months older than Aria, and yet they were in the same school year as Harry and his friends, fifth years. In reality, they probably should have been with the sixth years, maybe even the seventh. Strength-wise, they were definitely with the seventh-years. Harry couldn't understand the way that Silvergates's system worked, even though Riley and Aria had tried to explain it the year before, but all he knew was that two of his friends were now at Hogwarts, for good.

Riley and Aria were both orphans, Riley being orphaned at the age of two, almost three, and sent to live at an orphanage almost immediately afterward. Aria had been orphaned around the same time, but had been sent to live with a relative until she was five, at which time she was sent to live at the same orphanage. Harry didn't know a lot about them, only that Riley was a Parstlemouth, and had been expelled from Durmstrang Institute in Bulgaria after her first year of school due to an accident where a boy died because of her mysterious magical powers, where a snake had killed the boy because of Riley's anger. Aria, being the close friend that she was, joined Riley at Silvergates the next year, abandoning her placement at Beauxbatons Academy in France. Harry couldn't prove it, but he was positive that Aria was a Parstlemouth, as well. Still, there was no evidence of that, and no reason for him to pursue his opinions. Riley had a ring that was actually an heirloom from at least a thousand years back with Parstlemouth writing on it, a ring that had come from her great-great grandmother, Rona Ravenclaw, the younger sister of Hogwarts' very own Rowena Ravenclaw.

Both girls had grown extremely close to the Weasley twins during the past year; Aria and George all-but dating right up until the time they left, and Fred and Riley having some weird, unspoken thing going on that Harry and Ginny had both sensed, but neither were willing to pursue information on. Harry knew that as the year panned out, chances were that their relationships would further, as long as Malfoy didn't get in the way again. More than once last year, conflicts had arisen where Malfoy had made it clear that he liked Riley, and it had been settled on the idea that Riley would be gone. But now, Harry knew with dread that Riley would have to make a decision, and would be leaving both boys out to hang until she did.

Harry could feel the train slow down, and heard it screech as the brakes stopped. He got to his feet, grabbing his stuff as he did. He was the first to make a break for it from the compartment, surprised when he walked down the aisle to see Riley standing there, looking rather annoyed. "You all right, Riley?" he asked in concern.

Riley rolled her eyes at Harry and muttered, "It's nothing."

Harry doubted that. It didn't take a lot to annoy Riley, but to make her this quiet, it must be something serious.

The group walked out to a set of carriages, the same carriages that they always rode in. This time, though, they were being led by something that made Harry want to gasp in shock and horror. They looked something like horses, but more like the skeleton of a horse with pointed eyes and no eyes. They had huge nostrils and large wings that were pulled up tightly against them. They looked morbid, and ugly as anything Harry had ever seen, but more than anything, Harry stared at them in awe.

"What, what-" Harry began to stammer.

"It's all right, Harry," Riley said seriously from where she stood beside Harry. Harry looked at her and saw her looking right at the things. "Don't talk too loudly around them, or ask other people. Most of them, if they aren't already commenting to you, can't see them."

"What, what are they?" Harry asked, completely confused.

"Death."

Riley's voice was dark and low her eyes almost identical. She moved forward almost immediately after speaking, following Malfoy over to the group of short years. He stared at her as though she was insane for a moment, then remembered that she was a Prefect, and this was her job. Ron and Hermione were walking over to do exactly the same thing. Harry hesitated, then felt someone touch his elbow. He turned to see Aria walking up beside him, a frown on her face.

"You see them, too, huh?" she asked, looking at Harry, her eyes empty and emotionless.

"Yeah," Harry said, somewhat startled. "What are they? Riley said that they were 'death'?"

"That's one way to look at them," Aria said, scoffing with a small spark of amusement in her eyes. "Riley always _did_ have her head stuck in the tomb." She smiled at Harry and said easily, "Come on, Harry. Let's get going."

They walked over to one of the carriages, where Fred, George, Luna and Ginny all climbed in. Harry watched Fred look behind him, and he turned around to see what Fred was looking at. He saw that his gaze had fallen to Riley, who was talking to the first years while Draco did the same thing, only a foot away from her. Harry looked back at Fred and saw him glance briefly at Harry before looking over at George and Aria, who were sitting beside him, Aria between them.

Harry watched as Riley and Malfoy walked over to a cart with some of the Slytherins, and Harry tried to tell himself that it was just because she was in Slytherin now. When she sat down, facing Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle, she began to smile, only to laugh when Pansy said something. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach, only to look back at Fred and see his feelings expressed on his friend's face, especially when Malfoy sat beside Riley, smiling over at his friends.

The entrance hall was ablaze with torches and echoing with footsteps as the students crossed the flagged stone floor for the doubled doors to the right, leading to the Great Hall and the start-of-term feast. The four long House tables in the Great Hall were filling up under the starless black ceiling, which was just like the sky they could glimpse through the high windows. Candles floated in midair all along the tables, illuminating the silvery ghosts who were dotted about the Hall and the faces of the students talking eagerly to one another, exchanging summer news, shouting greetings at friends from other Houses, eying one another's new haircuts and robes. Again Harry noticed people turning their heads to whisper as he passed; he gritted his teeth and tried to act as though he neither noticed nor cared.

Harry passed Slytherin's table as he moved, only to notice Riley sitting down in between Montague and Malfoy, talking to other Slytherins. She smiled up at Harry as she began to sit down, her smile as friendly as ever. Harry couldn't help but smile back, unable to not when Riley gave him that look. He then followed his friends over to their table, sitting so that he was sitting beside Fred and Hermione, Ron across from them, but sitting at an angle so that Harry could see the Slytherin table, Riley sitting right across from him. Aria walked over and sat down beside George, who was sitting beside Lee Jordan and Ron.

"He's not there."

Ron and Hermione scanned the staff table, though there was no real need; Hagrid's size made him instantly obvious in any lineup.

"He can't have left," said Ron, sounding slightly anxious.

"Of course, he hasn't," Harry said firmly, hoping that he was right.

"You don't think he's... hurt, or anything, do you?" Hermione asked uneasily, clearly terrified by the idea.

"No," said Harry at once.

"But where is he, then?"

There was a pause, then Harry said very quietly, so that Neville, Parvati and Lavender, who were sitting nearby, couldn't hear, "Maybe he's not back yet. You know – from his mission – the thing he was doing over the summer for Dumbledore."

"Yeah... yeah, that'll be it," said Ron, sounding reassured, but Hermione bit her lip, looking up and down the table as though hoping for some conclusive explanation of Hagrid's absence.

"Who's that?" she said sharply, pointing toward the middle of the staff table.

Harry's eyes followed hers. They lit first upon Professor Dumbledore, sitting in his high-backed golden chair at the center of the long staff table, wearing deep-purple robes scattered with silvery stars and a matching hat. Dumbledore's head was inclined toward the woman sitting next to him, who was talking into his ear. She looked, Harry thought, like somebody's maiden aunt: squat, with short, curly mouse-brown hair in which she had placed a horrible pink Alice band that matched her fluffy pink cardigan she wore over her robes. Then, with a shock of recognition, a pallid, toadlike face and a pair of prominent, pouchy eyes.

"It's that Umbridge woman!"

"Who?" Hermione asked, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Dolores, Umbridge," Riley said, each word spoke separately, deliberately, and with equal disdain as she looked up at the staff table.

"That's her, all right," Draco said seriously in agreement.

"You sound like a fan," Montague said sarcastically with a look over at Riley.

"Well, _she's_ not _my_ biggest fan. I'll tell you that much," Riley said, looking at the woman through serious eyes. "Twice now, I've run into her on not-so-wonderful circumstances." She saw Montague and Draco looking at her in surprise, and she said, "It's nothing."

"Well, I know her through Father, at the Ministry," Draco said, as though extremely proud of the fact. "They've spoken on matters concerning Muggles and half-breeds on several occasions..."

Riley wasn't focusing on what Draco anymore, but instead on Umbridge. She could remember the woman's mock concerned look, along with fake confusion during both of her trials, particularly the first one. The first one had involved her original expulsion, when Umbridge had tried to convince everyone in the courtroom that Riley was a dark witch who should no longer have the right to practice magic, or be allowed to go to school to learn more. The claims were over-ruled almost unanimously. No one was going to condemn a twelve-year-old for accidental murder. The second time, Umbridge had tried to use all of the events of the past on Riley, to use every dark mistake she'd ever made as a point of why she shouldn't be allowed to allowed to continue, and this time, Riley had barely escaped Azkaban, though it wasn't for murder. In the end, Fudge had chosen to give Riley amnesty, as long as she didn't stay at Silvergates. Instead, Riley was at Hogwarts, the one place that Fudge feared would produce his downfall. Riley knew that Umbridge wouldn't be easy on anyone who supported her or Harry, especially Aria, who had closest relations to Riley. She also had a vendetta against orphans, though Riley had no idea why, and Aria fell under that, as well as the woman's classification of a 'freak' and 'dark witch' because she was a Parstlemouth. Riley knew that it was essential that Aria not reveal that she was a Parstlemouth, for her own safety.

Harry noticed Riley, who was staring seriously at the staff table. He wondered what had suddenly made her so serious and solemn looking when she'd been laughing and smiling only minutes before. As he followed her gaze, he saw that it rested on Umbridge as well, and then it dawned on him. Of course, Riley knew Umbridge! She'd been expelled twice, and all expulsions were dealt with by the ministry, especially if they involved illegal actions, as he knew her first one had, though he knew nothing about the second one.

A moment later, Harry heard the doors from the entrance hall open. A long line of scared-looking first years entered, led by Professor McGonagall, who was carrying a stool on which sat an ancient wizard's hat, heavily patched and darned with a wide rip near the frayed brim.

"Aria," Hermione asked curiously, looking over at Aria. "How were you and Riley Sorted? Did you choose your Houses?"

Aria shook her head and said, "No, we used the Sorting Hat also. It debated between putting me in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, but I wanted to be with you guys, so..."

"You chose the right House," George said with a smile as he looked down at her.

"Riley took a lot longer than me, though," Aria admitted as her eyes filled with confusion. "In fact, it took quite a while. I don't know if she was given a choice between which House she went to, but it was probably close to ten or fifteen minutes before the Sorting Hat made its decision."

"Why do you think that was?" Fred asked, looking at Aria in surprise.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hermione asked, looking between her friends with a surprisingly calm expression.

Ginny was the only other person at the table that seemed to think the solution was obvious; even Aria seemed confused. Ginny's voice was something of a duh-tone as she said, "Riley's brilliant, she proved last year that she's got guts and is willing to face her fears when it benefits others, and she's _definitely_ got the whole mischief-maker/cunning side going for her, so she would automatically fit into any of the Houses. The problem would be determining which one."

The boys couldn't argue with this.

The buzz of talk in the Great Hall faded away. The first years lined up in front of the staff table facing the rest of the students, and Professor McGonagall placed the stool carefully in front of them, then stood back. The first years' faces glowed palely in the candlelight. A small boy right in the middle of the row looked as though he was trembling. Harry recalled, fleetingly, how terrified he had felt when he had stood there, waiting for the unknown test that would determine to which House he belonged.

The whole school waited with bated breath. Then the rip near the hat's brim opened wide like a mouth and the Sorting Hat burst into song:

In times of old when I was new

And Hogwarts barely started

The founders of our noble school

Thought never to be parted:

United by a common goal,

They had the selfsame yearning,

To make the world's best magic school

And pass along their learning.

"Together we will build and teach!"

The four good friends decided

And never did they dream that they

Might someday be divided,

For were there such friends anywhere

As Slytherin and Gryffindor?

Unless it was the second pair

Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw

So how could it have gone so wrong?

How could such friendship fail?

Why, I was there and so can tell

The whole said, sorry tale

Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those

Whose ancestry is purest."

(Harry saw Riley shift uncomfortably at the table, every Slytherin smiling with agreement except for her.)

Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose

Intelligence is surest."

Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those

With brave deeds to their name,"

Said Hufflepuff, "I"ll teach the lot,

And treat them all the same."

These differences caused little strife,

When first they came to light,

For each of the four founders had

A House in which they might

Take only those they wanted, so,

For instance, Slytherin,

Took only pure-blooded wizards

Of great cunning, just like him,

And only those of sharpest mind

Were taught by Ravenclaws

While the bravest and the boldest

Went to daring Gryffindor,

Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest, and taught them all she knew,

Thus the Houses and their founders

Retrained friendships firm and true,

So Hogwarts worked in harmony

For several happy years,

But then discord crept among us

Feeding on our faults and fears.

The Houses that, like pillars four,

Had once held up our school,.

Now turned upon each other and,

Divided, sought to rule.

And for a while it seemed the school

Must meet an early end,

What with dueling and with fighting

And the clash of friend on friend.

When old Slytherin departed

And though the fighting then died outnumbered

He left us quite downhearted,

And never since the founders four

Were whittled down to three

Have the Houses been united

As they once were meant to be.

And now the Sorting Hat is hereditary

And you all know the score:

I sort you into Houses

Because that is what I'm for,

But this year I'll go further,

Listen closely to my song:

Though condemned I am to split you

Still I worry that it's wrong,

And must quarter every year

Still I wonder whether sorting

May not bring the end I fear.

Oh, know the perils, read the signs,

The warning history shows,

For our Hogwarts is in dangers

From external, deadly foes

And we must unite inside her

Or we'll crumble from within

I have told you, I have warned you...

Let the sorting now begin."

The hat became motionless once more; applause broke out, though it was punctured, for the first time in Harry's memory, with muttering and whispers. All across the Great Hall students were exchanging remarks with their neighbors and Harry, clapping along with everyone else, knew exactly what they were talking about.

While Ron and Hermione talked about the song, Harry looked across the room at Riley in paranoia, and he saw the same panicked look in her eyes.

The Sorting did indeed begin, and by the end of it, Gryffindor had seven new students, and eight new ones were now in Slytherin, Riley smiling down at them and talking to them from where she was sitting. Harry's fears hadn't subsided, as Riley's seemed to have had.

Then, Dumbledore stood up and faced the students. Harry was somehow soothed to see Dumbledore standing before them all, whatever his recent bitter feelings toward his headmaster, Between the absence of Hagrid and the presence of the dragonish horses, he had felt that his return to Hogwarts, so long anticipated, was full of unexpected surprises like jarring notes in a familiar song. But this, at least, was how it was supposed to be: their headmaster rising to greet them all before the start-of-term feast.

"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, "welcome! To our old hands- welcome back! Before we begin, I would like to make one welcome that I'm sure many of you have already observed, but perhaps not all. I would like to welcome two new students, transfers from Silvergates Academy in America. Aria Hardwick, who is now with Gryffindor," he said as he held one hand out to Gryffindor's table. Claps erupted from all over , especially from Gryffindor as Aria stood up, waving to everyone. Dumbledore held his other hand out and said, "And Riley O'Malley, who has joined Slytherin and is now a Prefect." Riley stood up, only for claps to arise all over, even louder than when Aria had stood up. No one clapped louder than Slytherin, all of whom looked thrilled. Harry knew that it was because almost everyone in the castle remembered Riley from the year before as one of the Champions. She'd done _very_ well, but nearly died during the Third and Fourth Tasks. She waved at everyone, smiling proudly, as though expecting this.

The two girls sat down, their Houses congratulating them and looking thrilled. They then heard Dumbledore say aloud, "There is a time for speech-making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

There was an appreciative laugh and an outbreak of applause as Dumbledore sat down neatly and threw his long beard over his shoulder so as to keep it out of the way of his plate – for food had appeared out of nowhere, so that the five long tables were groaning under joints and pies and dishes of vegetables, bred, sauces and flagons of pumpkin juice.

Riley waited several minutes until everyone had grabbed they wanted, amused at the gluttony. She'd grown accustomed to it long ago, but especially this last year when she'd spent time with the Hogwarts students. Once they'd grabbed their fill, Riley grabbed what she wanted and began to eat, listening in on the conversation at the table.

All of a sudden, a head popped out of the Slytherin table, a man in armor and with a black beard with scars all over him. Montague smiled and said, "Hello, Bloody Baron."

"Montague," the ghost said, nodding to Montague as he raised himself out of the table, rising above it. He settled down on the bench across from them and raised an eyebrow when he saw Riley. "Oh? And who is this?"

"I'm Riley O'Malley," Riley said with a smile. "Baron."

"_Wait a minute_!" Baron said in surprise. "You aren't..." His eyes widened as he said, "So, _that's_ where I recognize you. You wouldn't be _Helen Mask's_ daughter?"

"Yes, I am," Riley said with a smile, curious.

Baron scoffed and said, "Terrible woman, that one was."

"Was there something wrong with my mother?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, not at all," Baron said, shaking his head. "Amazing witch, good Quidditch player, and an absolute _genius_; always getting into trouble, though. She always saw fit to taunt the ghosts, though she was on good relations with most of them."

"She give you a lot of trouble?" Pansy asked curiously, looking at Baron.

"Well, I would say so!" Baron scoffed. "She was in my House, and so I had to watch her wreak terror on the Purebloods, even though she, herself, was a Pureblood. She never seemed to be willing to do as everyone else did, or accept their high standards."

_Sounds like my mother and I have even more in common than I thought_, Riley thought as she tried hard to suppress a smile, suddenly feeling prouder of her relationship to Helen O'Malley than ever.

"You're a Legacy? A Slytherin by heritage?" Montague asked in surprise, all of the Slytherins around Riley looking at her in surprise and with interest. Only Draco didn't seem the least bit surprised. "You didn't mention that your parents went to Hogwarts."

"Yeah," Riley said, shifting on the bench. "My father transferred to Hogwarts during his Fourth Year; my mother was always a student here. Dad was in Gryffindor, mom in Slytherin."

"'O'Malley', huh?" Baron asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked at Riley in open curiosity. "You wouldn't be _Stephen_ O'Malley's daughter, would you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Riley said with amusement.

Baron scoffed and said, "Of course. Now, _that_ boy I remember. Very opinionated and definitely the kind to get into trouble; could have made it as a Slytherin, but was too much of a softy. Had the brain, but not the will. He and Helen hated each other with a passion until they were in their sixth or seventh year."

"What changed?" Draco asked curiously.

"Don't recall," Baron said with a shrug, sounding genuinely disappointed. He looked at Riley and said, "I expect great things out of you, Miss O'Malley." He began to rise into the air and pointed a finger at Riley as he said in an open warning, "But if I find any exploded toilets or any of my belongings go missing, there'll be hell to pay."

"I'll do my best," Riley said through glinting eyes.

Baron scoffed and turned around, saying, "_That's_ how my whips went missing, by 'doing my best' with Helen." With that, he turned around and disappeared.

_Why do you care? It's not like you can actually use them now,_ Riley thought and wanted so badly to say aloud, though she managed to refrain.

"Sounds like your mom was a troublemaker," Pansy said, looking at Riley with a smile.

Riley smiled and shrugged as she said, "Oh, you know, it runs in the family. But now, I need to practice on some of my exploding spells."

"What?" Pansy asked in surprise, but had a smile on her face. "But he just said-"

"Good rule to learn with me, Pansy," Riley said as she poked a fork at her food. "Tell me not to do something, I'm going to do it tenfold." She pointed a finger at Montague, who had a perverted look in his eyes as he opened his mouth, and she said, "Don't even think about it."

Montague looked surprised and over at Draco as he said, "She's good."

Draco smiled at Riley with a look similar to Montague's, his eyes glinting as he said, "I know."

* * *

The entire hall ate over a long period of time, and by the time he was done, Harry felt so full that he would have thought he would burst. He watched as the teachers prepared themselves, and as Dumbledore stood up once again, calling the room to silence. Harry glanced over at Riley, once again feeling awkward as she laughed with her classmates uncontrollably, covering her eyes she was laughing so hard. Malfoy, Montague and Pansy were all laughing with her, and Harry remembered seeing the Bloody Baron fly over earlier, only to leave with a smile on his face. Things were going well for Riley, or at least that was how it seemed.

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," said Dumbledore. "First years – and newcomers – ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students – and a few of our older students ought to know by now, too." Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged smirks. "Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you that all magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door. We have two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creature lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was a round of polite, but fairly unenthusiastic, applause during which Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged slightly panicked looks, looks which Harry shared with Riley, even from the next table over, but for different reasons. Dumbledore had not said for how long Grubbly-Plank would be teaching, and the idea of Umbridge, someone who hated Harry and Riley, to take over the Defense Against the Dark Arts class was terrifying.

Dumbledore continued, "Tryouts for the House Quidditch team will take place on the–" He broke off, looking inquiringly at Professor Umbridge. Although not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment in which nobody understood why Professor Dumbledore had stopped talking, until they realized that Professor Umbridge had coughed slightly, indicating that she wished to speak.

Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment, then he sat back down smartly and looked alertly at Professor Umbridge as though he desired nothing better than to listen to her talk. Other members of the staff were not as adept at hiding their surprise. Professor Sprout's eyebrows had disappeared in her flyaway hair, and Professor McGonagall's mouth was as thin as Harry had ever seen it.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome." Her voice was high-pitched, breathy, and little-girlish and again, Harry felt a powerful rush of dislike that he could not explain to himself; all he knew was that he loathed everything about her, from her stupid voice to her fluffy pink cardigan. "Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth." And to see such happy little faces looking back at me."

Riley muttered something under her breath, and Aria suddenly covered her mouth as she tried hard not to make any sounds while laughing. Harry and the others looked at her as though she was mad, while Umbridge continued to talk. Aria was laughing so hard that she had to lower her head to the table, hitting it silently with her clutched fist. Harry looked at her as though she was insane, then back up at Riley, who was blushing and smiling while looking at Aria.

"What?" Hermione whispered low enough that no one could hear her. "Aria?"

Aria, her head still against the table, shook her hand right above her head, signaling not to pay attention.

"You okay?" Ron asked, confused.

Aria's hand, which had been just all five fingers, turned into a thumbs-up signal, but by the shaking of her body as she continued to laugh, Harry knew that she was all but all right. He raised an eyebrow at Riley, not saying anything, and she smiled, closed her eyes and shook her head, then nodded to Umbridge, and rolled her eyes. Harry couldn't help but smile, getting the picture. Then he turned his attention back to the speech.

"...treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching." Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to her fellow staff members, none of whom bowed back. Professor McGonagall's dark eyebrows had contracted so she looked positively hawk-like, and Harry distinctly saw her exchange a significant glance with Professor Sprout as Umbridge continued. "Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering."

"Great," Riley muttered under her breath, seeing where this speech was going. She narrowed her eyes up at the woman she so much disliked, who disliked her back, and she said so quietly that no one else could hear, "_Aria, stop laughing and listen up._"

Aria took a second to stop, and then looked up, sitting up straight and looking across the table, clearly alert now.

"_That's the woman who tried so hard to expel me and get met into Azkaban the one who hated me because I'm a Parstlemouth." _Riley saw Aria's eyes narrow in anger, and suddenly she had all of her friend's attention. _"No matter what, you cannot let her find out about you being a Parstlemouth. It could mean your placement here at Hogwarts, or out of Azkaban_."

"Right," Aria whispered in a sigh.

Riley turned her head and saw Harry looking deep in thought, as though thinking hard on something. Then, the lecture was over. Riley got to her feet, walking with Draco over to where the first years were sitting, and glanced over to see Harry still looking serious as he began to walk away, leaving Ron and Hermione behind. Riley knew that her concerns were Harry's, as well, and she knew that she wanted to talk to him about them, and soon.


	5. Chapter 4: First Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

.

Chapter Four: First Day

* * *

Seamus dressed at top speed next morning and left the dormitory before Harry had even put on his socks. It didn't take too much time and thought to realize exactly why he was so anxious to be away from the dormitory, not that it helped to dull the pain of the rejection Harry was getting from so many of his classmates. It seemed that wherever he went, he was getting odd looks and suspicious glances. In fact, the only ones who didn't seem to have any reservations about his loyalties were the Weasleys, Hermione, Aria and Riley. In spite of their support, the only person that seemed to calm Harry's fears was Riley, the wild child who was so much like Harry himself, only in Slytherin. Unfortunately, her placement in Slytherin made it difficult to correspond with constantly, so Harry had to rely solely on his seeing her in the hall.

"Does he think he'll turn into a nutter if he stays in a room with me too long?" asked Harry loudly, as the hem of Seamus's robes whipped out of sight.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Dean muttered, hoisting his schoolbag onto his shoulder. "He's just..." But apparently he was unable to say exactly what Seamus was, and after a slightly awkward pause, he followed Seamus out of the room.

Neville and Ron both gave Harry it's-his-problem-not-yours looks, but Harry was not much consoled. How much more of this was he going to have to take?"

"What's the matter?" asked Hermione five minutes later, catching up with Harry and Ron half-way across the common room as they all headed toward breakfast. "You look absolute – oh for heaven's sake." She was staring at the common room notice board, where a large new sign had been put up.

GALLONS OF GALLEONS!

Pocket money failing to keep pace with your outgoings?

Like to earn a little extra gold?

Contact Fred and George Weasley, Gryffindor common room,

for simple, part-time, virtually painless jobs

(WE REGRET THAT ALL WORK IS UNDERTAKEN AT APPLICANT'S OWN RISK)

"_They _are the limit," said Hermione grimly, taking down the sign, which Fred and George had pinned up over a poster giving the date of the first Hogsmeade weekend in October. "We'll have to talk to them, Ron."

Ron looked positively alarmed. "Why?"

"Because we're Prefects!" said Hermione, as they climbed out through the portrait hole. "It's up to us to stop this kind of thing!"

Ron said nothing; Harry could tell from his glum expression that the prospect of stopping Fred and George from doing exactly what they liked was not one that he found inviting.

"Anyway, what's up, Harry?" Hermione continued, as they walked down a flight of stairs lined with portraits of old witches and wizards, all of whom ignored them, being engrossed in their own conversation.

"Seamus reckons Harry's lying about You-Know-Who," said Ron succinctly, when Harry did not respond.

Hermione, whom Harry had expected to react angrily on his behalf, sighed and said gloomily, "Yes, Lavender thinks so, too."

"Been having a nice little chat with her whether or not I'm a lying, attention-seeking prat, have you?" Harry snapped resentfully.

"No," said Hermione calmly, "I told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually, and if you don't believe me, Aria was there to back me up. You can ask _her_. And it would be quite nice if you stopped jumping down Ron's and my throats. Harry, because if you haven't noticed, we're on your side."

There was a short pause.

"Sorry," said Harry in a low voice.

"That's quite all right," said Hermione with dignity. Then she shook her head. "Don't you remember what Dumbledore said at the end-of-term feast last year?" Harry and Ron both looked at her blankly, and Hermione sighed again. "About You-Know-Who. He said, '_His gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bound of friendship and trust–'_"

"How do you remember stuff like that?" asked Ron, looking at her in admiration.

"I _listen_, Ron," said Hermione with a touch of asperity.

"So do I, but I still couldn't tell you _exactly_ what–"

"The _point_," Hermione pressed on loudly, "is that this sort of thing is exactly what Dumbledore was talking about. You-Know-Who's only been back two months, and we've started fighting amongst ourselves. And the Sort's Hat's warning was the same – stand together, be united–"

"And Harry said it last night," retorted Ron, "If that means we're supposed to get mate with the Slytherins, fat chance."

"Hey, our friend is in Slytherin now," Hermione pointed, narrowing her eyes at Ron. "So get over yourself and get used to them."

"I don't get that," Ron said, looking at Hermione in confusion. "I mean, Aria said that the choosing for Riley took forever, so that means that she was probably being chosen between different Houses, including Gryffindor. Why didn't she just choose Gryffindor?"

"Believe it or not, I _like_ Slytherin."

Ron jumped and spun around to see Riley standing behind him, her arms folded behind her back. Harry turned around and was surprised once again to see Riley in black pants instead of a skirt. However serious her voice might have been, her eyes were filled with amusement, and everyone suddenly found themselves wondering how long she had been eavesdropping.

"You know," Harry said, looking at Riley with a smile of genuine amusement, "I think you're the only girl in the entire school who wears pants with her uniform rather than a skirt. In fact, I think you're the only girl who would even _try_."

Riley raised an eyebrow and said in a mock pleasant voice, a fake smile on her face, "Try getting me into a skirt and you'll find out _exactly_ what curses I know."

"You wore a dress at the Yule Ball," Hermione pointed out, sounding both offended and surprised.

"I wear a dress once in a blue moon," Riley said, looking at Hermione. "And when I do, they tend to be the type like I wore the night of the Yule Ball, not your common teenage girl's dress. I don't like having my hair up, wearing dresses or skirts, and I _definitely_ don't use make-up, _but_ I won't discourage those that _do_ like them."

"Like when you called Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil brain-dead wanna-be's last year?" Aria asked, an eyebrow raised. The others looked at Riley curiously, only to smile at her expression.

Riley blushed in embarrassment and held up a hand to say, "Okay, I only said that because of their personalities, not their choice in clothing, but yes, they're airheads. That's the only way to describe them."

The group laughed in amusement.

When they got down to the Great Hall, they all went to the Gryffindor table to eat. Even Riley came over to talk. They were talking about the _Daily Prophet_ being a bunch of bologna when Hermione said, "Nothing." She simply folded the newspaper up, rolling it and laying it down by her plate. "Nothing about you or Dumbledore, or anything."

Professor McGonagall was now moving along the table handing out schedules.

"Look at today!" groaned Ron. "History of Magic, double Potions, Divination, and double Defense Against the Dark Arts... Binns, Snape, Trelawney, and that Umbridge woman all in one day! I wish Fred and George'd hurry up and get those Skiving Snackboxes sorted..."

"Do mine ears deceive me?" said Fred, arriving with George and standing behind their brother, George sitting down beside Aria, but Fred standing near Riley, who was leaning with one hand on the table and the other on her hip. Fred continued to say, "Hogwarts Prefects surely don't wish to skive off lessons?"

"Look at what we've got today," said Ron grumpily, shoving his schedule under Fred's nose. "That's the worst Monday I've ever seen."

"Fair point, little bro," said Fred, scanning the column. "You can have a bit of Nosebleed Nougat cheap if you like."

"Why's it cheap?" said Ron suspiciously.

"Because you'll keep bleeding till you shrivel up, we haven't got an antidote yet," said George, helping himself to a kipper.

"Cheers," said Ron moodily, pocketing his schedule, "But I think I'll take the lessons."

"And speaking of your Skiving Snackboxes," said Hermione, eying the twins. "You can't advertise for testers on the Gryffindor notice board."

"Says who?" said George, looking astonished.

"Says me," Hermione retorted haughtily. "And Ron."

"Leave me out of it," said Ron hastily.

Hermione glared at him. Fred and George sniggered.

"So, what's this stuff you're working on?" Aria asked after finishing a bite of her kipper, only to glance up at George with a curious expression.

"Oh, you know," Riley said, thinking back to when she had first heard about the idea. "Their joke stuff that they wrote us about, the Weasley Wizard–"

"Oh, yeah!" Aria said, her eyes brightening with interest. She turned to look at both twins and she said, "If you want some help with antidotes and recipes, I can help you. I don't think it would take that long for me to figure it out. Just give me some samples and I could probably have some answers and suggestions within a week or so."

"Really?" George asked, both twins looking thrilled.

"_Aria!_" Hermione all but shrieked, looking thoroughly mortified.

Aria looked at Hermione and shrugged as she said, "They're going to sell it whether you like it or not, so I might as well help make it so that they don't kill anyone or blow them up."

"I will love you forever, Aria," Fred said, looking at Aria with bright and shining eyes. "Please, any help will be great."

Aria nodded and turned back to her food. "You get _your_ schedule, Riley?" she asked, looking up at Riley.

Riley nodded, only to say in a mock serious tone, "Yeah, Snape gave it to me this morning, along with a lecture about how if I miss his class or am tardy, he'll make sure that I pay for it with twice as much homework, and he doesn't favor kids from his own House. Charming man, he is."

"Bull on that," Ron snorted. "He lets the Slytherins get away with murder."

"I'd forgotten you had _Snape_ as your Head of House," George said, looking at Riley in surprise, only for his gaze to change to sympathy as he dared ask, "What's _that _like?"

Riley shrugged and said, "Somewhere between living with Karkaroff as my headmaster and having my head chopped off, but I guess it could be worse. At least with Snape, I don't dream about murdering him, which I often did when I was Karkaroff's student. Things could be a lot worse."

"Yeah, you could have Divinations," Ron snorted.

"No," Riley said awkwardly. "I have Potions with you guys, Advanced Potions with the seventh years, fifth and seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies for today alone. Tell me where in that you see _fun_."

Everyone hissed in a wince, even Hermione, but Ron asked in confusion, "What? I don't get it, aside from the obvious load of homework."

Riley hesitated, and then said, "Umbridge works for the Ministry, Ron; she's the same woman who fought to put me in Azkaban both times I was expelled. She almost succeeded, too. She's not going to be happy when she finds out I have her twice every other day, once every day; and believe me, she'll make everyone else's lives hell, too."

"Oh, _now_ I get it," Ron said, sounding like he felt dumb all of a sudden.

Riley sighed and said, "Well, let's get this over with, guys."

* * *

The first part of the day went by extremely boringly. To start with, History of Magic was a total yawn, and Riley felt the same about Muggle Studies. When she and the seventh years came out, she was more than ready to head to a somewhat interesting class, but then she remembered who was teaching it, and felt dread in her bones as she and the fifth years walked into Snape's dungeon. She sat down beside Draco in the front row, watching as Harry and Ron sat in the second row, Hermione eventually coming down to sit next to them.

"Settle down," said Snape coldly, shutting the door behind him.

There was no real need for the call to order; the moment the class had heard the door close, quiet had fallen and all fidgeting stopped. Snape's mere presence was usually enough to ensure a class's silence. Riley had to raise an eyebrow as she looked everyone, intimidated by his presence. She saw Aria sitting up in the back corner of the room, scribbling notes down before the class even started.

"Before we begin today's lesson," said Snape, sweeping over to his desk and staring down at them all, "I think it's appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of the students in this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape by with an 'acceptable' in your O.W.L., or suffer my... _displeasure_." His gaze lingered this time upon Neville, who gulped.

Riley made a mental note to remind Aria to help Neville out. She had no intention of letting Snape have the satisfaction of intimidating Neville into failure.

"Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level; the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: if you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing." On Harry's left, Hermione sat up a little straighter, her expression one of the utmost attentiveness. "The ingredients and method" – Snape flicked his wand – "are on the blackboard – (they appeared there) – "you will find everything you need" – he flicked his wand again – "in the store cupboard" – (the door of the said cupboard sprang open) – "you have an hour and a half... Start."

Riley, Pansy and Malfoy all began their potions, Riley paying careful attention to a potion that she'd learned to make a year and a half ago. She watched Hermione practically sweating to death over her potion, and couldn't help but smile. She looked back and saw Aria looking down at the potion while scratching down more notes still, and Riley wondered what she could possibly be writing about. Then again, she had learned long ago that simply questioning why Aria did the things she did was not necessarily wise. In many ways, Aria's mind operated on a very non-linear way; she missed things that should have been obvious (such as George's not-so-hidden feelings for her) and she noticed things that others didn't. In Potions, the latter was especially true.

"Miss O'Malley," Snape said in a sneer as he walked up to Riley's desk, looking down at her through narrowed eyes. "Do you feel fit to teach this class?"

"Excuse me?" Riley asked, turning her head back to Snape and raising an eyebrow as she smiled slightly, thrown by the question, but in an amused way.

"I asked if you felt fit to teach my class," Snape repeated. "Since _apparently_ you feel that you are smart enough to take this class without my instruction, and encourage others to do the same."

"Do I feel comfortable enough to know to put a hemlock branch into a cauldron by instructions alone?" Riley asked, staring Snape in the eye. "Do I feel comfortable reading your sloppy handwriting off of the board? Why yes, Professor Snape, I do."

There were several sniggers around the room, and Riley could tell that it was Seamus, Neville and Parvati. Still, that wasn't why she was doing this.

Riley continued to stare Snape in the eye, showing no intimidation. He looked at her in anger and said, "Tell me how to create a Wolfsbane potion."

Riley blinked and said calmly, "Combine two ingredients – third of silver stream, fourth of eye of newt - and suspend them in the air while reciting an incantation made by Elieth Jazor, one of the creators of the Wolfsbane potion. You then combine the third ingredient, heart of dragon, which is them suspended in the air as well. 'Combining these three potions together at the exact same moment and in their right proportions will produce a powerful potion that can restore a werewolf to its human form, whereas if the potion is made improperly, it will cause an explosive reaction that will also cause the werewolf to become angry and even more powerful.'"

Aria smiled, an amused look on her face as she tried not to laugh. There were several more sniggers from around the room, but this time from more than three people. Everyone was enjoying seeing Snape made a fool of, even the Slytherins, who looked amazed that Riley would dare oppose her teacher.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise as he watched, realizing that of course she must have known, since she faced a werewolf in the maze last year during the fourth task, and she'd been forced to make a Wolfsbane potion. Meanwhile, he heard a scratching noise and turned to see Hermione scribbling down the instructions on a piece of parchment.

Snape's eyes blazed and he demanded, "The Belletent Potion."

"A potion from the Dark Arts, with a greenish-silvery color, depending on the amount of powdered dragon claw and Zesperon's Elixir has been added," Riley said on command. "Eats away through any object known to man or beast, and has similar reactions as acid and fiend fire. Only one prevention, but once it touches an object, it cannot be cured; the potion will eat way through the object. Was outlawed and prohibited in the dark times before Voldemort (gasps rose all around the room, but Riley didn't pay attention as she continued) was destroyed in the last great war. It was a potion used by Death Eaters alone, and was one of their greatest tools, but also one of the deadliest, which made it nearly impossible for Death Eaters to carry on themselves."

"And where did you obtain this information?" Snape inquired, his eyes narrowed to slits and filled with obvious dislike. "It is not in any textbook to be found in this school."

"I _obtained_ it from _Aria_," Riley said in a very smart-allec-y voice.

Harry could barely hear them from the sound of scratching as Hermione wrote furiously down on the parchment the instructions and information that Riley was reciting.

Snape glared at Aria, who was suddenly blushing like mad, not expecting to get pointed out in the class, and he said dryly, "Get back to work." He looked at the entire class and said, "These two girls, however arrogant and disrespectful, have more knowledge than any of you have obtained in your entire careers at this school." He looked around the room and said, "You will need to know this type of information for your O.W.L.s, and your N.E.W.T.s. Now, continue." With that, he turned around and stormed over to his desk.

Everyone looked amazed that Snape hadn't blown up at Riley, and Malfoy was staring at Riley with a smile on his face: amazed, but also proud.

The group continued with their potions, barely having enough time to finish them. Harry had messed his up, Hermione had done perfectly, as had Riley and Aria. Malfoy's hadn't been _terrible_, but he still received full marks, even though he hadn't done well at all. Still, Harry's wasn't as bad as Crabbe and Goyle's. Even so, Harry felt miserable, because he hadn't gotten _any_ points for his potion, even though he'd done as well as about half of the class. So far, fifth year wasn't looking any better than any of the other years.


	6. Chapter 5: Professor Umbridge

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Five: Professor Umbridge

* * *

When they entered Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, they found Professor Umbridge already seated at the teacher's desk, wearing the fluffy pink cardigan of the night before and the black velvet bow on top of her head. Harry was again reminded forcibly of a large fly perched unwisely on the top of an even larger toad.

"I wonder where Riley is, and what she'll do this period," Ron said with a smile as he looked around.

"Don't expect anything, Ron," Hermione scolded him. "That's mean."

"Why not?" Ron laughed. "Did you see the way Snape's eyes practically popped out of his head with anger? It was _amazing!_"

"I'd like to see Aria go up against Snape one of these days in an all-out competition of potion-making," Harry said with a rather large and excited. "_That_ would be incredible. Aria's taught Riley everything that Riley knows regarding Potions, so what all does _Aria_ know, I wonder?"

The very idea made Ron turn red with excitement.

"Oh, come off it, you two," Hermione said, though her eyes twinkled at the thought.

The class was quiet as they entered the room; Professor Umbridge was, at yet, an unknown quantity and nobody knew yet how strict a disciplinarian she was likely to be. When they entered, they found that she was standing on the platform at the front of the classroom, wearing her hideous pink cardigan and bow, with her tiny wand clutched tightly in her pudgy hands. She had an all-too pleasant smile on her face, her eyes lit with pleasure until she saw Riley and Harry both enter the room. Even then, the expression only flickered for a split second, before her smile became forced, but she maintained it nonetheless.

"Well, good afternoon!" Umbridge said when finally the whole class had sat down.

A few people mumbled, "Good afternoon," in reply.

"Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge. "That won't do, now, will it?" I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they chanted back at her. Harry noticed that even though he recited it, Riley refused to. She was sitting across the room with Draco and Pansy again, her arms folded as she leaned back in her chair, staring at Umbridge with a blank expression on her face, as though expecting something out of Umbridge. Riley knew what she was expecting: a catastrophe.

"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."

Many of the class exchanged gloomy looks; the order "wands away" had never yet been followed by a lesson they had found interesting. Harry shoved his wand back inside his bag and pulled out quill, ink and parchment. Professor Umbridge opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, which was an unusually short and tapped the blackboard sharply with it; words appeared on the board at once.

* * *

Defense Against the Dark Arts

A Return To Basic Principles

* * *

"Well, now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" started Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we should expect to see in your O.W.L. year.

"You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please." She rapped the board again; the first message vanished and replaced a moment later.

* * *

COURSE AIMS:

- Understanding the principles and underlying defensive magic

- Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used

- Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use

* * *

For a couple of minutes the room was full of the sound of scratching quills on parchment. When everyone had copied down Professor Umbridge's three course aims, she said, "Has everyone got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_ by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

There was a dull murmur of assent through the class. Once again, Riley refused to say anything, and again when Professor Umbridge spoke next.

"I think we'll try that again," said Professor Umbridge. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply, 'Yes, Professor Umbridge,' or 'No, Professor Umbridge.' So, has everyone got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_ by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

"Yes, Professor Umbridge," rang through the room.

"Good," said Professor Umbridge. "I should like you to turn to page five and read chapter one, 'Basic for Beginners.' There will be no need to talk."

Professor Umbridge left the blackboard and settled herself in the chair behind the teacher's desk, observing them all closely with those pouchy toad's eyes. Harry turned to page five of his copy of Defensive Magical Theory and started to read.

Riley stared at the book in her hands, holding it up, but not actually opening it. She thought, _I wonder what the fat old toad would say if she knew that the witch who ran the orphanage Aria and I were in gave us this book at the age of seven._ She scoffed silently and thought, _Probably that that wasn't a 'Ministry-approved curriculum for children' and that 'orphans are ridiculous and traitorous beasts, without the knowledge of magic embedded in their brains before their time'. She'd probably say that 'it only encourages Dark magic long before they even get to school'._

Harry could not remember Hermione ever neglecting to read when instructed to, or indeed resisting the temptation to open any book that came under her nose. He looked at her questioningly, but she merely shook her head slightly to indicate that she was not about to answer questions, and continued to Stare at Professor Umbridge, who was looking just as resolutely in another direction.

After several more minutes had passed, however, Harry was not the only one watching Hermione The chapter they had been instructed to read was so tedious that more and more people were choosing to watch Hermione's mute attempt to catch Professor Umbridge's eyes than to struggle on with "Basics for Beginners."

Aria had her arms folded on the desk, her head set on them, and Riley was very close to propping her feet up on the desk, if only to see Umbridge's reaction. Instead, she leaned back in her chair, propping herself up onto the tips of her toes and keeping her arms folded while she looked at Umbridge expectantly.

When more than half the class were staring at Hermione rather than at their books, Professor Umbridge seemed to decide that she could ignore the situation no longer. "Did you want to ask something about the chapter dear?" she asked Hermione, as though she had only just noticed her.

"Not about the chapter, no," Hermione admitted.

"Well, we're reading that now," said Professor Umbridge, showing her small, pointed teeth. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class."

"I've got a query about your course aims," Hermione said, surprising everyone in the room.

Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows.

"And your name is–"

"Hermione Granger," Hermione answered politely.

"Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully," said Professor Umbridge in a voice of determined sweetness.

"Well, I don't," said Hermione bluntly. "There's nothing written up there about _using_ defensive spells."

There was a short silence in which many members of the class turned their heads to frown at the three course aims still written on the blackboard. Riley raised an eyebrow at it, glanced at it briefly, then back at Umbridge expectantly. This question had caused Aria to raise her head and look over what she'd written, only to look at Umbridge through narrowed eyes, also confused.

"Using defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge repeated with a little laugh. "Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require to use a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?

"We're not going to use magic?" Ron asked loudly in open surprise.

"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr. –"

"Weasley," said Ron, thrusting his hand into the air.

Professor Umbridge, smiling still more widely, turned her back on him. Harry and Hermione immediately raised their hands, too. Professor Umbridge's pouchy eyes lingered on Harry for a moment before she addressed Hermione. "Yes, Miss Granger? You wanted to ask something else?"

"Yes," Hermione said with a nod. "Surely the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"

"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?" asked Professor Umbridge in her falsely sweet voice.

"No, but –"

"Well then, I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the 'whole point' of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way–"

"What use is that?" Harry asked abruptly, his voice growing louder as his defensiveness became stronger. Not far away, Riley was about five seconds away from doing the exact same thing. "If we're going to be attacked it won't be in a –"

"Hand, Mr. Potter!" said Professor Umbridge.

Harry thrust his fist in the air. Professor Umbridge promptly turned away from him again, but now several other people had their hands up too.

"And your name is?" Professor Umbridge said to Dean.

"Dean Thomas."

"Well, Mr. Thomas?"

"Well, it's like Harry said, isn't it?" Dean pointed out uncomfortably, "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk-free –"

"I repeat," said Professor Umbridge, smiling in a very irritating fashion at Dean, "Do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"

_No, but _you _might be if you keep this up much longer, _Riley thought bitterly, quickly growing annoyed. She closed her eyes, struggling to keep every muscle in her body from getting angry to the point where something would explode. She would have loved nothing more than to break every glass frame, bottle and potion she could see in this room, just to scare Umbridge. Still, there would be too much commotion since it would scare everyone else in the room, too.

Aria frowned when she saw Riley begin to tense up, sensing the emotion from her as she grew angrier. Her eyes narrowed as she looked around. There was plenty of glass and flammable materials in her, but there were also people, and Umbridge would do anything to get Riley thrown out, if she'd even noticed she was there, that is.

"Riley," Aria whispered warningly, and she saw Riley glance back at her, without moving her head. "Calm down."

Riley hesitated, then her muscles began to relax, for the moment.

"If you mean Professor Lupin," piped up Dean Thomas angrily, "He was the best we ever –"

"Hand, Mr. Thomas! As I was saying – you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group, and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day –"

"No we haven't," Hermione argued defensively, "we just –"

"Your hand is not up, Miss Granger!"

Hermione raised her hand up, but not surprisingly, Professor Umbridge turned away from her so that she wouldn't have to answer Hermione's question, which would undoubtedly have put her in an even more desperate and flustered position. "It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them _on_ you –"

"Well, he turned out to be a maniac, didn't he?" Dean Thomas responded hotly. "Mind you, we still learned _loads _–"

"Your hand is not up, Mr. Thomas!" trilled Professor Umbridge. "Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. And your name is?" she added, staring at Parvati, whose hand had just shot up.

"Parvati Patil, and isn't there a practical bit in our Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.? Aren't we supposed to show that we can actually do the counter-curses and things?"

"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions," said Professor Umbridge dismissively.

"Without ever practicing them before?" said Parvati incredulously." Are you telling us that the first time we'll get to do the spells will be during the exam?"

"I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough –"

"And what good's theory going to be in the real world?" said Harry loudly, his fist in the air again.

Professor Umbridge looked up. "This is school, Mr. Potter, not the real world," she said softly.

"So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting out there?"

"There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Potter."

"Oh, yeah?" Harry snapped defensively. His temper, which seemed to have been bubbling just beneath the surface all day, was reaching boiling point.

"Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?" inquired Professor Umbridge in a horribly honeyed voice.

"Hmm, let's think..." said Harry in a mock thoughtful voice, and Riley knew exactly what he was going to say: the same thoughts she had at this very moment. "Maybe Lord Voldemort?"

Ron gasped; Lavender Brown uttered a little scream; Neville slipped sideways off his stool. In fact, the only people in the room who didn't seem disturbed by Harry mentioning the Dark Lord's name were Harry, Riley, Aria and Umbridge. Professor Umbridge, did not flinch. She was staring at Harry with a grimly satisfied expression on her face.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter."

The classroom was silent and still. Everyone was staring at either Umbridge of Harry, except for Riley who had her eyes closed in yet another attempt to remain calm.

"Now, let me make a few things clear." Professor Umbridge stood up and leaned toward them, her stubby-fingered hands splayed on her desk. "You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead –"

"He wasn't dead," said Harry angrily, "But yeah, he's returned!"

Mr.-Potter-you-have-already-lost-your-House-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for-yourself," said Professor Umbridge in one breath without looking at him. "As I was saying, you have informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. _This is a lie_."

"It is NOT a lie!" Harry roared angrily. "I saw him, I fought him!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter!" said Professor Umbridge triumphantly. "Tomorrow evening, five o'clock. My office. I repeat, this is a lie. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any Dark wizard. If you are still worried, by all means come and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs about reborn Dark wizards, I would like to hear about it. I am here to help. I am your friend."

"Yeah, right," Riley scoffed, unable to keep it quiet anymore.

Everyone looked at Riley in surprise, and she looked up where she'd had her head hanging, her eyes narrowed and angry as she looked at Umbridge. Everyone, even Malfoy, seemed uncertain and concerned as Riley spoke out against Umbridge. Umbridge was staring at Riley through eyes clearly filled with loathing, and her voice didn't have the same honey-sound in it when she spoke to Riley.

"Should you have something to say, Miss O'Malley, please raise your hand _and shut up!_"

"Right, because if I had raised my hand, you would have answered?" Riley asked, not hiding her dislike or impatience.

"_Hand, _Miss O'Malley!"

"Good grief!" Riley laughed, raising her head. "You're saying that you're our 'friend', but everything that we do or say just gets reported back to your boss, Cornelius Fudge, who is merely using your appointment here as an opportunity to poke his nose into our business and education."

Everyone in the classroom looked around anxiously, as though suddenly second guessing whether or not to talk to Umbridge, who seemed to fume at this.

Riley didn't stop as she continued to say, "You have no idea what's gone on at this school; only what your boss tells you and what you see on paper, yet you feel that you have the right to tell everyone that they're wrong and insane, just because you're scared enough at the possibility that Voldemort might be back that you have to hide behind the Minister of Magic's cloak."

There were gasps from all over the room, everyone looking at Umbridge expectantly. Umbridge stood up and said haughtily, "Detention, Miss O'Malley. You will join me and Mr. Potter tomorrow. Both of you, come here."

Riley and Harry both stood up, grabbed their stuff, and walked over to Umbridge. She pulled a small roll of pink parchment out from her handbag, stretched it out on the desk, dipped her quill into a bottle of ink, and started scribbling, hunched over so that they couldn't see what she was writing. Nobody spoke. After a minute or so, she rolled up the parchment and tapped it with her wand; it sealed itself seamlessly so that he could not open it.

"Take this to Professor McGonagall."

The two took off, Harry holding onto the parchment, and they left the classroom, Riley glancing over at Aria to see a silent groan come from her. She rolled her eyes and walked out with Harry.

The two were walking down the corridor toward McGonagall's office, and Harry said, "What was _that _about?"

"You have to ask?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow daringly at him.

"Well, not only was I surprised that you agreed with me in public, but she didn't even try to be nice to you, didn't even fake it."

Riley shrugged and said, "That's Umbridge for you. She hates me for being a Parstlemouth, thinks I'm a freak and a potentially Dark witch. I'm sure she thinks I'm going to just run to Voldemort the moment I get the chance. She may be terrified that he's alive, but she's just hypocritical enough to think that I might be reporting to him."

"She's insane," Harry said, shaking his head.

Riley nodded and said, "That about sums it about, along with a few other words that I'm not going to say."

Harry couldn't help but smile.

The two walked down toward Professor McGonagall's office and Riley opened the door, letting Harry go in first. The two walked in and saw Professor McGonagall working in her room, putting supplies on the shelf. McGonagall turned her head in alarm when they entered, and she said angrily, "What are you two doing? Why aren't you in class?"

"We've been sent to you," Harry said stiffly.

"Sent? What do you mean, sent?"

Harry held out the note from Professor Umbridge. Professor McGonagall took it from him, frowning, slit it open with a tap of her wand, stretched it out, and began to read. Her eyes zoomed from side to side behind their square spectacles as she read what Umbridge had written, and with each line they became narrower.

"Come in here, you two."

They walked over and sat down in chairs by McGonagall's desk.

"Well?" said McGonagall, rounding on him. "Is this true?"

"Is what true?" Harry asked, rather more aggressively than he'd intended. "Professor," he added in an attempt to sound more polite.

"Is it true that you shouted at Professor Umbridge?"

"Yes."

"You called her a liar?"

"Yes."

"You told her He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?"

"Yes."

McGonagall looked at Riley and asked, "You called her a liar?"

"Yes, I did," Riley said in a blunt and rather honest, carefree tone.

"Mocked the Minister?"

"Not so much the Minister as her, but I probably _would_ have mocked him if I hadn't been so angry at the time," Riley admitted. "It's amazing what I forget to say when I'm not in my right mind."

McGonagall sighed and sat down in her chair. She then said, "Have a biscuit."

Harry and Riley exchanged looks, and then asked in unison, both equally surprised, "_What?_"

"Have a biscuit," she repeated impatiently, indicating a tartan tin of cookies lying on top of one of the piles of papers on her desk. "And pay attention."

Harry reached out, but Riley chose not to. The only cookies she liked were peanut butter and oatmeal raisin, and neither were on the tin.

Professor McGonagall set down Professor Umbridge's note and looked seriously at the two. "Potter, O'Malley, you two need to be careful."

Harry swallowed his mouthful of Ginger Newt and stared at her. Her tone of voice was not at all what he was used to; it was not brisk, crisp, and stern; it was low and anxious and somehow much more human than usual. "Misbehavior in Dolores Umbridge's class could cost you much more than House points and a detention."

"What do you –?"

"Potter, use your common sense," snapped Professor McGonagall with an abrupt return to her usual manner. "You know where she comes from, you must know to whom she is reporting." She glared at Riley and said, "And you, you're even worse than Potter. You're a _Prefect__!_ You've been involved with this woman _twice_ before; you've almost been sent to Azkaban both times... How far over the line do you need to go before you're satisfied?"

Riley hesitated, and then looked down at her hands, which were folded on her lap. She knew that McGonagall was right, but all she wanted right now was to slug someone, particularly an ugly pink toad. Harry looked at in her in surprise, not used to seeing Riley look embarrassed and ashamed.

McGonagall said coldly, "You both need to learn to keep your tempers under control, and your mouths shut, because Dolores Umbridge has a lot of power under her cardigan, and she isn't afraid to use it. We've only just seen a beginning of what she can do when she has the Minister's support, and I get the feeling that this is only the beginning." She sighed, and then said, "Professor Umbridge has given you detention every evening this week, starting tomorrow."

Riley closed her eyes in acceptance as she groaned, whereas Harry repeated in horror, "Every evening this week! But Professor, couldn't you –?"

"No, I couldn't," said Professor McGonagall flatly.

"But –"

"She is your teacher and has every right to give you detention. You will go to her room at five o'clock tomorrow for the first one. Just remember to – Where are you going?"

Riley had stood up and was walking out of the room. She wasn't going to answer McGonagall, but she couldn't even _imagine_ what it was going to be like when Snape, Draco and Montague found out that she was going to have detentions for the next week _and_ miss try-outs.


	7. Chapter 6: Detention With Dolores

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Six: Detention With Dolores Umbridge

* * *

"The next _week_?" Montague exclaimed in disbelief as he stared at Riley through widened eyes. "_What were you thinking, O'Malley?_"

"Should have been there and heard it," Pansy said with a serious frown at Riley. "I'm surprised it wasn't a _month_."

"You think I was kidding?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow at Pansy, who just looked away, not saying a word. Riley looked back at Montague and said, "I wasn't _trying_ to get myself into detention, but there's nothing I can do to get out. The one thing that I regret, though, is that this means that I'm going to have to miss try-outs."

"Don't worry about that," Montague said as he let out a sigh. "I've seen you in the air; you're on the team." Riley smiled, and Montague said, "But if you get yourself into more trouble and miss practices, I'm going to have your hide for it."

"Thanks," Riley said, and looked down at her watch. "Oh, I've got to go." With that, she grabbed her bag and made her way over toward the Gryffindor tower. She walked inside, only to hear Hermione yelling again, and by the topic, Riley knew that it was at Fred and George.

"That's enough!" Hermione said forcefully to Fred and George, both of whom looked up in mild surprise.

Riley couldn't help but smile as she stood back and folded her arms while watching the scene.

"Yeah, you're right," George said with a nod, "This dosage looks strong enough, doesn't it?"

"I told you this morning, you can't test your rubbish on students!"

"We're _paying_ them!" Fred exclaimed indignantly.

"I don't care! It could be dangerous!"

"Rubbish," Fred said with a roll of his eyes.

"Calm down, Hermione, they're fine!" said Lee reassuringly as he walked from first year to first year, inserting purple sweets into their open mouths.

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, when a voice said with a smile, "Hermione, if you don't believe them, trust _me_." Riley saw Aria walking over with her books in her arms, a smile on her face as she watched them. "They're idiots, but I made sure that all of the dosages are just right. These kids won't get hurt from their stuff." She looked at the first years and said sternly, "All right? Make sure that you don't have more than one of each, though, or you really will get hurt." She looked at Fred and George and said more sternly, "And don't give them any more than one a day, or I'll have you both swimming in your own dung."

"Yes, Aria," Fred and George said together, sounding alarmed by the idea, mostly because they knew that she meant it.

"I don't care," Hermione said, though her voice didn't sound as angry now, as though she wasn't as passionate in her conviction now.

Aria looked over at Hermione and said with a smile, "They won't get hurt, Hermione. I promise, there's nothing toxic in this stuff. I analyzed it all earlier." She blinked when she saw Riley and said in surprise, "Riley!"

Everyone looked over at Riley in surprise, none of them having noticed her earlier. "Riley," Fred said in surprise.

"What are you doing in _our _common room?" George asked, confused. "Aren't you still in Slytherin?"

Riley nodded and said, "Yeah, just wanted to see if Harry wanted to meet tomorrow night before the detention session with Giant Toad-dung?"

"That's what you're calling her?" Jordan asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

Riley shrugged and said, "I have about a dozen other nicknames ready on the tip of my tongue, but I'm not going to say them aloud in front of the First Years."

The older students all smiled, even Hermione, whereas the younger ones merely looking confused. Harry nodded and said, "I'll meet you at four-thirty. Here?"

"Yeah, no problem," Riley said. She then pointed out, "You may want to change your password, since I know it now." With that, she left the room.

* * *

The next day, Riley and Harry walked down to Umbridge's office together. The day had been horrible for both of them, and neither really seemed to be in the mood to talk. Riley had dealt with Umbridge twice the previous day, and today she'd dealt with Umbridge once and Snape twice. Needless to say, her day had turned out terrible, and she knew it was about to get worse.

As Riley walked in, she was disgusted to see that the surfaces had all been draped in lacy covers and cloths. There were several vases full of dried flowers, each residing on its own doily, and on one of the walls was a collection of ornamental plates, each decorated with a large techni-color kitten wearing a different bow around its neck. Riley had nothing against cats, even as a wolf-animagus, but this wasn't just hideous, it was mortifying.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter, Miss O'Malley."

Riley said nothing, just continued to look around. She was in her ugly set of flowered robes that blended only too well with the tablecloth on the desk.

"Evening," Harry said stiffly.

Riley said nothing.

Umbridge stared at Riley expectantly, not saying anything for several moments. Riley blinked, not saying a single word. Then Umbridge said stiffly in her sweet voice, "I said, 'Good evening, Miss O'Malley.'"

"I heard you," Riley said in return.

"I expect a response," Umbridge said certainly.

"I just gave you one," Riley said bluntly. "If you don't like it, it's not my problem."

Umbridge sighed and shook her head. "Such defiance. Must be broken out of you, especially as you're in my dear Slytherin. Wonderful House, so helpful to me and supportive. How you ended up in it, I will never know."

_You're right,_ Riley thought, but chose not to say aloud.

"Well, sit down," she said, pointing to two small tables draped in lace beside which she had drawn up two straight-backed chairs. A piece of blank parchment lay at each table, apparently waiting for both of them.

Riley sat down at one of the tables, and she began to reach for her bag to get her quill and ink, Umbridge said to both Harry and Riley, "No, no, not your quills. I want you to be using my very _special_ quills," she said, handing them long, thin black quills with an unusually sharp point. "Here we are. I want you to write, 'I must not tell lies'," she told them softly.

"How many times?" Harry asked, voicing Riley's thoughts.

"Oh, as long as it takes for the message to sink in," said Umbridge sweetly. "Off you go." She moved over to her desk, sat down, and bent over a stack of parchment that looked like essays for marking.

Harry raised the sharp black quill and then realized what was missing. "You haven't given us any ink," he said.

"Oh, you won't need ink," said Professor Umbridge with the merest suggestion of a laugh in her voice.

Riley took the quill in her left hand and began to write down on the parchment: I must not tell lies. Riley heard Harry let out a gasp of pain, and she felt something rip on the back of her hand. She looked down at the back of her left hand, the hand she was using to right. Her eyes widened in alarm, and she looked over at Harry in disbelief. Like her piece of parchment, Harry's had come out with red words instead of black, and his right hand was already being torn up.

Riley and Harry both looked up at Umbridge, though Harry's eyes were wide with disbelief, unlike Riley's which were filled with dislike. "Yes?" she asked sweetly.

"Nothing," Harry said quietly.

Riley said nothing.

Riley looked back at the parchment and continued to write, in spite of the wincing pain. She flinched, her right hand down on her lap as she wrote. She clutched her fist tightly, gritting her teeth as she wrote. She could feel the words dig deeply into her skin, but she didn't dare stop. In fact, the pain caused her to write faster, to long to get this feeling off. But the faster she wrote, the more the words hurt.

Riley didn't stop as she saw Harry do, she continued writing '_I must not tell lies_' until the words seemed to stay in her hand permanently. They continued until after the sun went down, Riley not giving up or stopping. Her hand hurt so badly that she feared that it would fall off, but she didn't stop. She couldn't. She knew that if she did, Umbridge would be all too thrilled. She wanted to control Riley, to break her in the way that a person breaks in a horse. She wanted to drain the will, spite and drive out of every student, to make them fall to the will of the Ministry, even if it meant draining everything they had in them, out.

"Come here," Umbridge said, after what seemed like hours.

Riley stopped writing for the first time, nearly a foot and a half of parchment written in her own blood. She knew that it couldn't be healthy, but she'd grown so serious and determined while writing that she had barely noticed that her hand had big, deep red scars on the back of her hand. She looked over at Harry's, and was alarmed to see that his hand was only red, not with the words remaining in it. She set down the quill and looked at her hand, frowning when she saw that the words weren't going anywhere, weren't healing. Was it because she'd written without relent, or because Umbridge had cursed her quill worse than Harry's? She couldn't have guessed if she'd tried to.

"Hand," Umbridge said, holding her hand out to Harry. Harry extended it. She took it in her own, and Riley saw Harry suppress a shudder as she ran her thick, stubby fingers over the back of it. "Tut, tut, I don't seem to have made much of an impression yet," she said, smiling. "Well, we'll just have to try again tomorrow evening, won't we? You may go, Mr. Potter." She looked over at Riley and said, "_Your hand_, Miss O'Malley."

Riley held her left hand out and allowed Umbridge to examine it. She saw a smile creep to the toad woman's face, and she patted it roughly with her hand. Riley wanted to punch her then and there, but she didn't. Umbridge said with satisfaction, "Very good. _Very_ good. I see my impression has started to sink in." She looked up at Riley and said, "Tomorrow now, Miss O'Malley, don't be late."

"Whatever," Riley said, walking over to grab her stuff.

"You know, Miss O'Malley," Umbridge said, ignoring Harry, who was waiting for Riley. Umbridge looked from her folded hands up to Riley and said, "Should you continue to show such disrespect, I will be forced to take action, and your detentions will not go so easily."

"'Action'?" Riley asked carelessly. "Unless they involve you getting the hell out of Hogwarts, they don't interest me." Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked off, leaving the room ahead of Harry, who said nothing, but followed Riley out.

"I can't believe you just said that to her," Harry said as they walked away. He looked at Riley's left hand in alarm and took it in his, causing her to stop and face him as he stopped. "What this?" he asked, confused. He looked at Riley and said loudly, "Why'd it stay? Mine didn't."

Riley pulled her hand away and said, "Umbridge dislikes me more than you, Harry, and believe me, that's the way that you want it." When Harry looked at her in alarm, Riley insisted, "Just trust me; I'm going to make sure it stays the way it is now, because I can tell you right now that the very last thing you need in this world is to have _her_ attention on you any more than it already is." With that she stormed off, leaving Harry behind without another word.


	8. Chapter 7: Where I'm From

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Seven: Where I'm From

* * *

The second detention was just as bad as the previous one. The skin on the back of Harry's hand became irritated more quickly now; red and inflamed, Harry thought it unlikely to keep healing as effectively for long. Soon, the cut would remain etched in his hand and Umbridge would, perhaps, be satisfied. Then again, Riley's cuts had stayed in there since the first night, and she hadn't lightened up at all. Even so, Riley worked hard every night, producing at least a foot and a half of parchment with 'I must not tell lies' written in her own blood.

His homework situation, however, was now desperate, and when he returned to the Gryffindor common room the second night, he did not, though exhausted, go to bed, but opened his books and began Snape's moonstone essay. It was half-past two by the time he had finished it. He knew he had done a poor job, but there was no help for it, unless he had something to give in he would be in detention with Snape next.

Thursday passed in a haze of tiredness. Ron seemed very sleepy too, though Harry could not see why he should be. Harry and Riley's third detention in the same way as the previous two, except that after two hours the words "I must not tell lies" did not fade from the back of Harry's hand, but remained scratched there, oozing droplets of blood. The pause in the pointed quill's scratching made Professor Umbridge look up, though Riley continued writing.

"Ah," Umbridge said softly, moving around her desk to examine his hand herself. "Good. That ought to serve as a reminder to you, oughtn't it? You may leave for tonight?"

Harry felt spite toward her, but said nothing, only looked at Riley. He couldn't understand how she could go for so long without stopping. His hand, it was only trickling blood. The words on the back of her hand weren't even visible now, but completely covered in blood. He wondered why hers was so different from his own torment. Was it because she wrote faster, harder and for longer? And why was it feeding from her opposite hand instead of the same one like his was?

"Riley-"

"Oh, no, Mr. Potter," Professor Umbridge said with a honeyed voice. "Miss O'Malley must stay until her task is complete."

Riley didn't even acknowledge Harry, only continued writing. Harry felt that it was like watching Riley take out all of her anger at Umbridge on paper, as if she wrote enough lines, that she would be able to get rid of the woman.

Harry walked out of the room, no longer able to stay. He walked outside of the office and down toward the Gryffindor common room. His hand throbbed, seared like nothing he'd ever felt before. Then, he was surprised to see Ron with his Cleansweep Eleven hidden behind his back. By the look on Ron's face, Harry would have guessed that Ron was just as surprised to see Harry.

"What are you doing?"

"Er – nothing. What are you doing?"

Harry frowned at him. "Come on, you can tell me! What are you hiding here for?"

"I'm – I'm hiding from Fred and George, if you must know," said Ron. "They just went past with a bunch of first years, I bet they're testing stuff on them again, I mean, they can't do it in the common room now, can they, not with Hermione there." He was talking in a very fast, feverish way.

"But what have you got your broom for, you haven't been flying, have you?" Harry asked.

"I – well – well, okay, I'll tell you, but don't laugh, all right?" Ron said defensively, turning redder with every second. "I-I thought I'd try out for Gryffindor Keeper now I've got a decent broom. There. Go on. Laugh."

"I'm not laughing," said Harry. Ron blinked. "It's a brilliant idea! It'd be really cool if you got on the team! I've never seen you play Keeper, are you good?"

"I'm not bad," said Ron, who looked immensely relieved at Harry's reaction. "Charlie, Fred and George always made me Keeper for them when they were training during the holidays."

"So you've been practicing tonight?"

"Every evening since Tuesday... just on my own, though, I've been trying to bewitch Quaffles to fly at me, but it hasn't been easy and I don't know how much use it'll be." Ron looked nervous and anxious. "Fred and George are going to laugh themselves stupid when I turn up for the tryouts. They haven't stopped taking the mickey out of me since I got made a prefect."

"I wish I was going to be there," said Harry bitterly, as they set off together toward the common room.

"Yeah, so do – Harry, what's that on the back of your hand?"

Harry, who had just scratched his nose with his free right hand, tried to hide it, but had as much success as Ron with his Cleansweep. "It's just a cut – it's nothing – it's–"

But Ron had grabbed Harry's forearm and pulled the back of Harry's hand up level with his eyes. There was a pause, during which he stared at the words carved into the skin, then he released Harry, looking sick. "I thought you said she was giving you lines!"

Harry hesitated, but after all, Ron had been honest with him, so he told Ron the truth about the hours he had been spending in Umbridge's office.

"The old hag!" Ron said in a revolted whisper as they came to a halt in front of the Fat Lady, who was dozing peacefully with her head against the frame. "She's sick! Go to McGonagall, say something!"

"No," said Harry at once. "I'm not giving her the satisfaction of knowing she's got to me."

"_Got to you?_ You can't let her get away with this!"

"I don't know how much power McGonagall's got over her," said Harry, and then said in a low voice, "Besides, it's not as bad compared to Riley's."

"Wait a minute," Ron said, confused. "You mean that _Riley_ is doing these, too?"

Harry nodded and said, "Yeah, Riley's been there with me the entire time. She does twice as many lines, and the scars have been bleeding a lot worse for her than me since the beginning. As bad as mine are, I'm not going to complain when Riley's going through a lot worse and finding a way to endure it."

"Is Riley in the Slytherin tower now?" Ron asked hopefully.

Harry shook her head and said, "No, she's still with Umbridge."

"_What?_ Why?" Ron asked, confused.

Harry hesitated, and then said, "Umbridge really has it in for her; keeps us there until she thinks we'll submit or can't stand it any longer. When I left, Riley was still going strong. I wouldn't be surprised if she was there for another hour or more."

"_Three hours?_" Ron asked in disbelief. "_That insane!_ Someone needs to tell someone, Dumbledore!"

"No," Harry said immediately and in a definitive tone.

"Why not?"

"He's got enough on his mind," said Harry, but that was not the true reason. She was not going to go to Dumbledore for help when Dumbledore had not spoken to him once since last June.

"Harry," Ron said awkwardly. "This isn't just about you now. Riley's getting hurt, too."

"Then _she_ can go to Dumbledore," Harry said.

The Fat Lady, who had just woken up, burst out and said angrily, "Are you going to give me the password or will I have to stay awake all night waiting for you to finish your conversation?"

* * *

Riley sat down on the rail, leaning back against the pillar behind her. She had her head rested against it while she looked out over the Hogwarts grounds and the moon. She had her left leg stretched out while her right was pulled up, her right arm lying on it. The searing had left her hand some twenty minutes ago, but her mind wasn't even on Umbridge anymore. She spun the ring on her right ring finger around with her thumb, feeling the cold silver-colored metal against her skin. She could see the image of it, and the words etched into the outside of the band in her mind, along with images of rising black and orange fire, and an image of her mom and dad, screaming from within a similar fire.

"Hey," a soft and familiar voice said, waking Riley from her thoughts.

Riley glanced over and rolled her head to see Fred walking over, positioning himself on the rail. He set his hand on her right leg – the one stretched out – right below her thigh, not seeming to care where his hand was placed as he looked at her in concern. "You okay?"

Riley shrugged and said halfheartedly, "I'm fine; just tired."

"Things here like what you expected?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

Riley hesitated, and then said, "Not quite, but in some ways, they're better than I could have imagined." She shook her left leg, smiling somewhat at Fred knowingly.

Fred smiled, his gaze softening before he asked, "How are you these days? Haven't seen much of you since you got those detentions."

Riley rolled her eyes and said in a sigh, "I'm fine, just worn out. I mean, Umbridge is determined to be the end of me, even if it means going insane herself." She held up her right hand, showing the back of it to Fred as she said, "Can't cover it yet. The leather would kill my hands."

Fred took Riley's right hand in his left one and turned it to face him, viewing the words. He shook his head and said angrily, his eyes blazing, "That hag!" He looked at Riley and asked angrily, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Riley frowned and said, "Mostly because I didn't want anyone to ask me why I don't stop when I do." When she saw Fred look at her with surprise and confusion, she rolled her eyes and said, "Umbridge doesn't stop the detentions until she thinks that we're ready to submit to her, that we've done too much to handle. I was there for four hours tonight, Fred, and right now I can't even feel my hand."

"I'll kill her!" Fred exclaimed, anger burning in his eyes.

Riley shook her head and said, "Don't. It wouldn't do any good anyway. I'll have the feeling in my hand back in about two hours. The scars aren't going to go anywhere, whether she's dead or alive. I don't want you getting into any trouble just because she hates me."

Fred frowned and asked, "What is it with her, always ragging on you?"

Riley frowned and said, "She rags on me for a lot of reasons. She was one of the court members at my expulsion cases; my biggest opposer."

"Yeah, you told me that," Fred said, frowning. "I still don't get why that would make her hate you so much."

Riley hesitated, and then admitted, "I guess it's because she considers me a freak."

"Why would she think that?" Fred asked, confused.

Riley hesitated again, and then said, "Because I'm a Parstlemouth." She looked up and saw Fred's eyes widen with alarm. She nodded and said, "Yeah, that's one of my big secrets, Fred."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Fred asked, confused.

Riley shrugged and said, "Guess I didn't see the point in freaking you out when there was no need."

"But now?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow again.

Riley frowned and said, "I trust you, trust you not to think of me as a freak of nature and abandon me."

Fred smiled, relaxing visibly and saying, "You're right. I just find it strange, that's all."

Riley widened her eyes for a second in agreement and said, "So does Umbridge. In fact, she believes that anyone who can speak to snakes in their own language is a Dark witch or wizard, that they will go to Voldemort's – oh, don't flinch! – when he comes back. She thinks I'm evil, that I oppose Fudge, and that one of these days, I'm going to become so powerful because of my abilities that I will kill everyone who opposes me, which would be her."

Fred hesitated, and then asked cautiously, "Riley, why were you expelled from Silvergates?"

Riley frowned, and then said, "When we got back to school, we had two weeks left before the year was out. Everyone treated me like a hero, well, _almost_ everyone. A girl from the seventh-year didn't believe what had happened, didn't trust my word. Aria and I ran into her in the bathroom one day." Riley's eyes shadowed. "I remember I was washing my hands when I heard her walking up behind us. She sneered at me, said that I was a Mud-" she stopped, and then said, "A Muggleborn-loving bloodtraitor, and that I was a liar who couldn't have possibly made it out of the maze in second without cheating, said that Voldemort – _for goodness sakes, Fred, stop wincing! _– didn't come back, that I lied and Harry and I were just making it all up."

"How can you say his name so easily?" Fred asked, clearly confused.

Riley hesitated, suddenly sensing something in the air. She turned her head slightly to the side, smelling someone in the distance. She hesitated, and then looked back at Fred, who was still staring at her in confusion. She said seriously, "Voldemort is the reason my parents are dead." Her voice hardened and she said sincerely, "He killed them, and I will not give him the satisfaction of knowing that I back down to him in fear, that I have any form of respect for him, even if only in fear. He's a coward who uses magic to kill those that he hates, and he doesn't deserve the respect that everyone gives him. It may not be intentional, but by refusing to say his name, you back down, you give him a sense of authority that he doesn't deserve."

Fred frowned and said, "So, what happened next? With the girl?" It was clear that he was uncomfortable with the discussion of Voldemort.

Riley hesitated, and then said, "Aria told her to shut up. I was so angry that I could barely control myself. When she told Aria to shut up, called her a worthless and unworthy half-blood, I snapped. It had only been three weeks since Cedric died. I was still really shaken up about his death, not to mention leaving was really hard on me." She looked down and said, "When I snapped, every mirror in the bathroom broke. The toilets blew up, the stalls blew everywhere, and all three of us got hurt. The girl, Anna, was impaled by all sorts of glass shards, as were Aria and I. I guess, even though I did well in the tournament, that was the last straw."

"'Last'?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

Riley nodded. "Yeah, that wasn't the first time something like that had happened. It was just the final time they were going to _let_ it."

"Why'd you come to Hogwarts?"

Riley hesitated, and then said, "To be honest, we weren't planning on it. We were in London because Aria wanted to withdraw some money from Gringotts, and while we were here, we kind of went on a vigilante spree. There were a lot of witches and wizards that were attacking Muggles, along with some nasty werewolves, even when they weren't in Full Moon phase. Aria and I took it upon ourselves to do what we could to keep busy by protecting them. We ran into a couple of nasty witches and wizards along the way, though one werewolf in particular gave us trouble. I've got a few more scars than I'd like to admit, thanks to that bastard. Dumbledore found us at a hotel we were staying at and offered me the chance to come here if I ever needed to, and it just kind of turned out perfectly. Plus, Aria and I didn't have a lot of choices, both of us still being underage witches."

"So it had nothing to do with the offer I made?" Fred asked, a teasing smile on his face.

Riley smiled and narrowed her eyes teasingly at Fred. "Nope," she teased, shaking her head with a smile. Both of them laughed.

Fred hesitated, frowning as he looked down at his hands. One was on her thigh, one was holding her scarred up hand. He pulled his hand away from her scarred hand, but left the other as he asked, "What's going on with you and Malfoy these days?"

Riley shook her head and said, "Nothing, really. I mean, we're partners in all of our classes together, and he flirts like crazy, but nothing's going on."

"Has he said anything about the scars?" Fred asked, an eyebrow raised.

Riley frowned and looked down as she said awkwardly, "That's where I'm a terrible person. None of the people in my House know about them, including Draco and Snape."

"What?" Fred asked in disbelief. "_Why_?"

Riley shrugged and said, "There's no point in them knowing, so why bother them with it? It's not like they can do anything to Umbridge. Instead, I just wear leather gloves over them, and no one knows the difference."

"Riley, you have to do something about it," Fred said, shaking his head.

Riley blinked and said, "I have two more days, Fred, just give it a rest. After that, I won't have any more detentions."

"Until the next stupid move you make," Fred pointed out.

Riley suddenly thought of something and smiled deviously. "You wanna do something tomorrow night?" She saw Fred raise an eyebrow, and she said, "Something _fun_."

"What are you thinking of?" Fred asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Riley.

"Bring George and Jordan," Riley said with a smile, "And you'll find out what I mean."

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to love this and hate it at the same time?" Fred asked, rolling his eyes.

Riley smiled. "You'll soon see." (A/N: I HATE this saying. My teacher ruined it for me, and anyone who was in my sixth grade class would know EXACTLY what I mean by that. Still, I try to fit it into most of my stories. Huh, Sky?)

Fred nodded and stood up, moving his hand from Riley's leg and saying, "All right. I'll see you tomorrow during class."

"Right," Riley said, looking down at her hands while Fred walked off. Once Fred was gone and out of earshot, Riley raised her head, flipping her hair over her shoulders as she said aloud, "Come on out, Harry, he's gone."

A moment later, Harry came out of the shadows, looking disturbed and surprised, and he said in a weirded out voice, "That's creepy, the way you do it."

Riley smiled over at Harry and said, "It's my gift, being a wolf-animagus. You want to learn how to transfigure yourself? I'll help you."

"Maybe next year," Harry said with a smile as he walked over. He leaned his arms against the rail, a pillar over from where Riley was. He looked over at her and asked, "How's the hand?"

"Stopped bleeding," Riley said, looking at it. "I finally know what a horse must feel like when it's branded."

Harry smiled and said, "I don't know that they think about it that often."

Riley nodded and admitted, "True." She looked at Harry, an eyebrow raised, and said, "Ask."

"What?" Harry asked, looking at her in surprise.

"Ask what it is you're thinking," Riley said. "I already know what you want to say."

"Then why ask?" Harry asked, looking at her with serious eyes.

Riley shrugged and rolled her eyes back as she said, "_Humor me_." (A/N: Yet another phrase that I hate, but find funny to add in books, and that's because my Mother (self-explanatory at that) likes to over-use the phrase.)

Harry hesitated, and then said, "Actually, I've got two questions. One: how is it that you knew what was going on with me while I was in the maze last year? And how did you know that Moody wasn't actually Moody?"

Riley frowned and said, "That's actually two questions in its own, but I'll bite. I don't _know_ exactly, but I _think_ that when that snake bit me - I don't know, it must have been some kind of magical poison or something - but part of my consciousness was separated from myself, and I wasn't so much seeing you, as I felt what was going on. I remember seeing a few glimpses, kind of raised up above the ground but not an overhead view, you know? I remember seeing Cedric's body, and Voldemort cutting your forearm, and Voldemort rising from a black cauldron. But then I was back in Hogwarts, and I saw Aria, and then I saw someone else. I think it was supposed to be Moody, but it was like seeing two shadows upon one another, and I knew something wasn't right. I'd been sensing it since I was in the maze, when it seemed like everything was out to get me, but when I was lying there, about to pass out, all I could do was see figments, and all I could speak was Parstletongue. I, I knew something wasn't right with him, but I couldn't tell what."

Harry frowned, as though satisfied with the answer. "Question two: You told me last year that you didn't want me butting into the history of your parents' death," Harry said, looking at Riley seriously, standing up and facing her straight-on, one hand on the rail and one on his hip. "You said that because you were leaving, and wouldn't be in my life anymore, that there was no point in asking. Well, you're here now, and now that I've just found out that Voldemort is the one who killed your parents, I'm even more curious."

Riley hesitated, and then said, "It's true, my parents were killed by Voldemort. Last year, I had all of these dreams of their death, each one getting more and more vivid. I don't know why I had them, I only know that I did, and I know that it was a real memory, the only one of my own memories I'll ever have of them." Harry wondered what she meant by that, and she continued to say, "My parents were Black Ravens, and they fought Voldemort to the death."

"'Black Ravens'?" Harry asked, confused. "What's–?"

"Look, Harry," Riley said as she hopped off of the rail. "I'm going to go to bed. Good night." With that, she walked off, and said aloud, "See ya in detention!"

* * *

Riley walked up the staircase and into the Slytherin common room. She rolled her neck, taking off her cloak and setting it on the back of a chair. She was rubbing the back of her neck when she heard a voice. She turned her head to see Draco walking over, his hands in his pockets and a soft look on his face.

"Draco," Riley said in surprise.

"I was wondering when you'd get back," Draco said, his voice empty and lacking all emotion. "It's almost one in the morning."

Riley hesitated, and then said, "Yeah, just wanted to get some air before coming back."

Draco walked up to Riley and looked at her left hand. Before she could withdraw it, he took it and looked over it. He ran his thumbs over her hand, only to feel her tense up beneath. He looked up at Riley and into her eyes, not releasing her hands.

"Why didn't you mention this before?" Draco asked, sounding hurt.

Riley hesitated, and then said, "It hasn't been as bad as it looks until now."

Draco ran his thumbs along the inside of her hand and he said quietly, "You should have told me."

Riley hesitated, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, and pulled her hand away, unable to stand feeling the searing pain against his skin. "Draco," he said awkwardly. "Ever since that day on the train..." She stopped, remembering how he'd just walked right up to her and kissed her on the forehead, only to walk away without saying anything. She frowned and said, "You know that we're not dating, right?"

Draco nodded and said in a casual, unconcerned tone, "Yeah, I know." He smiled at Riley and said, "Good night, Riley." With that, he walked over toward the boy's dorm.

Left alone again, Riley groaned and covered her eyes with her hands. _What is with that guy with walking up to you, saying something, and just walking away?_ She rolled her eyes and thought to herself, _Well, at least this time he didn't kiss me. Guess I've got one thing to be grateful for. I've already had enough drama for one night without getting into my romantic relationships._


	9. Chapter 8: Joke's On You!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Eight: Joke's On You!

* * *

Riley smiled as she walked down the corridor Saturday morning, unable to hide the smile that had been planted on her face since she'd woken up. She had her hands folded behind her back; this morning not wearing her robes as normal, but instead, the leather jacket that she'd received from Viktor Krum last year. She was wearing a white tanktop underneath, along with blue jeans and black sandals. She loved this outfit, because it was casual, flattering and very comfortable. It was the weekend, and therefore there were no classes, so she didn't have to wear her robes or uniform, which she wasn't crazy about, to say the very least. In fact, they were one week closer to when Riley would be able to go to Hogsmeade again.

But that wasn't what made Riley so happy this morning. No, it was the voices and sniggers going around the school. She couldn't help but smile as each person she passed laughed to themselves. She heard a girl from Hufflepuff laugh as she said, "Did you hear about it?"

"_Hear_?" a Hufflepuff boy chuckled, a first-year by the sound of his voice. "I saw the _pictures_!"

"Every one of them, broken!"

Riley smiled in satisfaction as she walked down into the Great Hall, where she found all of her friends, Gryffindor and Slytherin alike, sitting at their tables. She walked over to the Slytherin table, sat down beside Draco, and smiled over at the Gryffindors. Fred and George were smiling, trying hard not to, but failing miserably.

"Did you hear about what happened last night?" Pansy asked, looking over at Riley in disbelief.

"What are you talking about?" Riley asked, pretending not to know anything.

A moment later, Riley heard the doors to the Great Hall slam open with a "_bang!_" She turned her head and saw Umbridge marching in, her eyes narrowed, her fists clenched, and looking furious. She wasn't wearing her pink cardigans or ugly pink bows as usual, but instead was wearing normal robes for teachers, green and black for a Slytherin supporter, and had her hair pulled back neatly, but it only made her look more toad-like.

Riley couldn't help but smirk, but kept her head low so that no one could tell. She pulled out a piece of paper from her bag, along with her quill and ink, and began to scratch something down on the paper. Then, once she was satisfied, she folded the paper into the shape of a bird, tapped it with her wand, and thrust it up into the air. She watched as it fluttered across the room and over to Fred, who caught it instantly. Fred took the paper and unfolded it, smiling at what he saw inside. He showed it to George, who tried not to laugh. Then George tapped his wand against it, and the paper disappeared instantly.

Within half an hour, everyone in the castle was in the Great Hall, many of whom were giggling and laughing, discussing the last big event. When Dumbledore was sure that everyone was there, he stood up and said loudly, "Silence!"

Silence filled the Great Hall within a few seconds. There was something about Dumbledore that demanded obedience and silence. Beside him, Umbridge looked livid, ready to murder. She was scanning the crowd, as though trying to pick someone specifically out of the crowd. Dumbledore had a smile on his face, as he most normally did, and he began to talk once again.

"As many of you have probably heard by now, there was an incident last night in the office of our own Professor Umbridge. It seems that someone saw fit to burn all of her lovely pink cardigans and hair bows, and destroyed many of the plates in her own personal collection, and leave a whole mess of toads in the office to jump around and make a wreck."

There were several snickers and laughs from around the room. Riley set an elbow on the table and covered her mouth, struggling hard not to join them in laughing. She looked up at the twins and saw that they were doing the same, though all three had to do everything in their power not to fall over laughing. Jordan was further down the table, smiling simply without a care in the world, the best of the four of them at hiding his guilt. Harry, Hermione and Ron all looked at one another in disbelief, clearly not having had heard about this, and Riley saw Aria roll her eyes and let out a deep sigh, clearly knowing who was responsible.

Umbridge seemed even more angry as the matter was clearly not taken very seriously. She sat in her seat, her fists clenched. Riley looked up at the teachers and saw that McGonagall had lifted a napkin to her mouth, though her eyes gave away the fact that she was all-too pleased. Professor Sprout smiled sweetly, but tried not to laugh, and Professor Flitwick had a big grin on his face, though refrained from laughing as well, and when a girl below laughed, he scolded her with a smile on his face.

Dumbledore continued to say, "As I'm sure all of you know - or at least I would hope so - this is a matter which will be dealt with with great discipline and authority from myself as well as Professor Umbridge. We cannot support vandalism, although I must admit that was a very good Charm on those toads. When attempted to vanish them, they reproduce by twenty. _Very_ good Charm... caused at least two hundred toads to appear in the office... very messy to clean up... "

"Hem, hem," Umbridge pretended to cough, interrupting Dumbledore and not so subtly reminding him to stay on track.

"Oh, yes, Professor," Dumbledore said, nodding in agreement. "Professor Umbridge asks that if any of you know who the culprit, or _culprits -_" he added with a very knowing voice, "- is, that you please report them to me and I will deal with them accordingly."

In spite of his words, Riley didn't feel threatened at all. That, plus the fact that she had made sure to clean up after herself and leave no trace that she'd been there, ensuring that she and her friends would go without getting caught, especially as she knew that none of them were stupid enough to go and turn themselves in.

Breakfast went on, and for the first time, everyone seemed to be talking about the same thing. Riley looked up in surprise when she heard the owls coming in, only to see Sunny among them. Her brown and white owl, with her glossy feathers, came swooping over and dropped a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ and _The Quibbler _on the table. Riley smiled and gave the owl, who had flown down to rest on her shoulder, a piece of bread, rubbing her head before she watched the owl fly off.

"Beautiful owl," one of the first years said, looking up at Sunny in awe.

"Thanks," Riley said with a proud smile. "She's not very old, but I'm proud of her. She's strong and smart. She's turning into quite the carrier."

"I'm glad that you're happy with her," Draco said, smiling affectionately and with a faint amount of amusement at Riley.

Riley smiled back and said, "You did a good job picking her out. When did you find time to buy her, anyway?"

Draco swallowed his food and said, "The weekend that you pulled off your snowboarding extravaganza, I went into one of the shops in Hogsmeade and found her."

"Are you two dating?" a boy first-year asked rather abruptly, looking between Riley and Draco with wonder.

Riley shook her head, her smile fading as she found herself being eyed by nearly everyone at the table, all of whom had been wanting to ask that question since the year before. Riley finally answered, "No, Devin, we're not. We're just really good friends."

"But that doesn't stop me from trying," Draco said, smiling at Riley with teasing eyes.

Riley smiled, refraining from voicing how awkward she felt right now, especially considering that Pansy Parkinson was fuming from several seats down, clearly not having had missed the conversation.

* * *

Riley walked up the stairs to where the owls stayed and flew off once it was time to leave with their owner's message. She had an envelope in her hands, and was smacking it against the palm of her hand when she blinked in surprise. Harry was standing by the window with Hedwig, his white owl.

"Harry," Riley said in surprise.

Harry turned his head and smiled at Riley, clearly surprised as well, but in a good way. "Hey, Riley," he said with a smile. "What are _you_ doing up here?"

"Oh, just sending off an order for some more jelly beans," Riley said with a smile. "I can't seem to get enough of those things."

"Do you have an owl?" Harry asked with surprise. He frowned and said, "I guess that's kinda stupid, since we discussed that on the train."

"Yeah," Riley said, and a moment later Sunny came flying over to land on her shoulder, flapping her wings and pulling them closer in. Riley laughed and said, "Here's Miss Impatient now."

"She's beautiful," Harry said, sounding surprised as he walked over. He stroked Sunny's chest, and she turned her head, hooting happily. Harry laughed. "Is she smart?"

"Well, she's only a year old and she's carrying all of my mail, and returning with a bag of jelly beans," Riley said with a smile. "So I'd say it's a safe bet to say that she's smart."

"True," Harry agreed. He frowned and asked, "So, about the other night..."

"You mean what I told you about my parents' deaths?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow at Harry. When he said nothing, she shrugged and said, "It's nothing, Harry. Just don't go blabbing about it to everyone, and I'm good."

Harry hesitated before asking, "Would I be taking a leap to guess that you, Fred and George had something to do with the incident last night?"

Riley looked from Sunny to Harry, a teasing look in her eyes as she said, "I don't know what you're talking about, Harry. I just found out about that incident this morning in the Great Hall." But the look she sent Harry told him everything.

Harry frowned as he watched Riley with the owl, his mind filled with thoughts and confusion. His eyes fell to her right forearm, which was covered by a long leather wristband, just as it always had. The closer he looked at it, the more details he saw. It was approximately six inches long, covered most of her right forearm, and she never took it off. Even at the Yule Ball, the biggest event of the TriWizard Tournament, with the possible exception of the final Task, Riley had worn a beautiful blue halter-top dress. Still, she refused to take off the wristband. What was underneath that that was so secretive? That she refused to hide from the rest of the world? In the entire time Harry had known Riley, he'd never seen her take it off. What could be so important that she'd lie to everyone about it? Did it have something to do with her past and her parents?

Suddenly, Harry felt as though he was going to go nuts. He _had_ to know. He had to understand.


	10. Chapter 9: The Truth Through The Fire

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Nine: The Truth Through the Fire

* * *

"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione asked as she, Aria and Ron followed Harry up the changing stairs and toward the Gryffindor tower.

"No one is in the common room right now and I need to talk to Sirius," Harry said as he reached the painting. "_Mimbulus Mimbletonia_," he said impatiently.

The panting opened up and the kids hurried inside.

"Sirius?" Aria asked in surprise. "As in Sirius _Black?_"

The three others looked at her in surprise.

Aria scowled, only to say in a duh-tone, "We _do_ know about Sirius Black in America. It's not like we're _completely_ ignorant out there."

"Well, Sirius is actually an innocent man," Hermione explained quickly. "He was framed by Peter Pettigrew, one of the Potters' and Sirius's closest friends."

"Nice friend," Aria said sarcastically.

"Not to mention that Sirius is Harry's godfather," Ron admitted as they all ran into the common room.

Harry knelt down in front of the fire. "Sirius Black," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Grimmuald Place."

There was a puff from the fire and a moment of silence before Sirius's face appeared in the smoke of the fire. "I was starting to think you'd go to bed before everyone else had disappeared," he admitted. "I've been checking every hour."

"You've been popping into the fire every hour?" Harry asked, half-laughing.

"Just for a few seconds to check if the coast was…" Sirius looked at Aria. "Hello, and who are _you_?"

"Aria Hardwick," Aria said with a smile. "This is my first year at Hogwarts, and I'm a fifth year as well, though I'm almost sixteen.

"_Hardwick_?" Sirius asked, lost in thought. "Are your parents Theresa and Jason?"

Aria nodded. "Yes, did you know them?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes. I went to school with them, Theresa was in my year, and Jason two years older. They were Aurors for the Ministry, until they were killed by a Death Eater fourteen years ago. Should've guessed. You look just like your mum, and you have your dad's eyes."

Aria nodded and said with a proud smile, "Thank you, and yes, a Death Eater named Dolohov killed them."

"What about Harry's scar?" Ron asked, changing the subject quickly. "Why is it hurting? Do you think it's because You-Know-Who's back?"

"Well, now that he's back it's bound to hurt more often," Sirius agreed with a factual edge to his tone.

"So you don't think your scar had anything to do with Umbridge touching me when I was in detention with her?" Harry asked.

"I doubt it," said Sirius. "I know her by reputation and I'm sure she's no Death Eater."

"You'd never know it," Aria muttered. "She's killing Riley with those stupid detentions. The only House she likes is Slytherin, so she pampers the lot of them."

"Everyone except Riley," Ron pointed out.

"Who?" Sirius asked, confused.

"We'll get to that later," Harry admitted.

"But the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters," said Sirius with a wry smile. "I know she's a nasty piece of work, though, you should hear Remus talk about her."

"Does Lupin know her?" asked Harry quickly, remembering Umbridge's comments about dangerous half-breeds during her first lesson.

"No," said Sirius, "But she drafted a bit of anti-werewolf legislation two years ago that makes it almost impossible for him to get a job." He paused, then said, "So, what are Umbridge's lessons like? Is she training you all to kill half-breeds?

"No," said Harry, ignoring Hermione's affronted look at being cut off in her defense of Kreacher. "She's not letting us use magic at all!"

"All we do is read the stupid textbook," Ron admitted begrudgingly.

"And answer everything with 'Yes, Professor Umbridge' or 'Good morning, Professor Umbridge,'" Aria said in a voice filled with pure loathing.

"Ah, well, that figures," Sirius said with a nod of agreement. "Our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."

"Trained in combat?" repeated Harry incredulously. "What does he think we're doing here, forming some sort of wizard army?"

"That's _exactly_ what he thinks," Sirius admitted, "or rather, that's exactly what he's afraid Dumbledore's doing, forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic."

There was an awkward moment of silence.

"You… have got… to be kidding," Aria said, looking so stunned that she might faint.

"That's the _stupidest_ thing I've ever heard, including all the stuff that Luna Lovegood comes up with," Ron said in equal disbelief.

"So we're prevented from learning Defense Against the Dark Arts because Fudge is scared we'll use spells against the Ministry?" said Hermione, looking furious.

"Yep," said Sirius. "Fudge thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. He's getting more paranoid about Dumbledore by the day. It's a matter of time before he has Dumbledore arrested on some trumped-up charge."

Harry suddenly thought of Riley and what she had said about her parents and a solemn look crossed his face.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Sirius asked in concern, seeing Harry's expression.

"Sirius, what do you know about a group called the Black Ravens?" Harry asked.

Aria froze instantly, her eyes widening in alarm and filling with anger, though she didn't get the chance to voice her thoughts right away. Instead, she simply glared at Harry in fury.

Sirius looked surprised. Clearly, this had thrown him off. "How do _you_ know about them?"

"I'll explain later, but please, tell me what you know about them," Harry said quickly.

Ron and Hermione looked completely clueless, and Aria stared down at the ground with a blank expression.

Sirius frowned. "Well, they weren't a very large group. No one outside the group even knew where its headquarters were at, or who was in it. Well, that's not entirely true, because your father, Remus, and I knew who their leaders were. However, the secret society itself was known by every witch and wizard during the last war caused by Voldemort. Terrible, what happened to them. When it was first created, it was composed of twenty-five witches and wizards who sought to destroy Voldemort and those who followed him. At night, they would dress in black cloaks and masks and seek out Voldemort and his Death Eaters. When they found a Death Eater, they destroyed it using any method, even if it meant using an Unforgivable Curse."

"That's horrible!" Hermione exclaimed.

Sirius looked at Hermione. "Is it?" he asked, silencing Hermione immediately. "Think about it. If you were in a given position, would you let Voldemort get away with murder and destroy all Muggles and Muggleborns, or would you use an Unforgivable Curse to destroy Voldemort and/or his followers, even if it meant sitting in Azkaban for the rest of your life?"

Hermione seemed to understand this, though it definitely didn't make her any more pleased with the news.

"You've got a point," Aria said out loud.

Sirius nodded. "Hundreds of Voldemort's followers died thanks to the Order and the Black Ravens. Unfortunately, many out of both groups died as well."

"But what happened to them that was so terrible?" Hermione asked.

Sirius sighed. "Well, it's said that a loyal servant of Voldemort used the Imperius Curse to find out where their headquarters was. After she found out, she killed the member and reported to Voldemort. That night, Voldemort and this loyal servant went to the mansion belonging to the leaders of the Black Ravens and set it on fire with fiendfyre. It's all guess work based on what little evidences was found, but it seems that the Death Eaters ambushed the Black Ravens and killed them all. I know for a fact that the leaders of the Black Ravens had a baby that survived the fire, but I have no idea what ever happened to it, or why."

Harry couldn't move. No. He was right.

"There was one unique thing about identifying the members of this group, though, if you knew where to look," Sirius explained. "It was a method of branding the members and communicating in a way that wasn't much different than the Death Eaters. Every member had a brand on the bottom of their right forearm. It was of a black raven with red eyes."

Harry swallowed hard. "Sirius, _who_ were the leaders of the Black Ravens?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Their names were Helen and Stephen," Sirius said. "Helen and Stephen O'Malley. They were once friends of mine."

Harry's eyes snapped shut as he heard Hermione and Ron gasp in shock. They all knew _exactly_ what happened to that baby.

"It can't be," Ron said. He looked back at Aria. "Can it?"

Aria frowned and narrowed her eyes at Harry before snapping darkly, "Why did you bring this up? What good is it for you to ask this? It's none of your business, Harry!"

"What is it?" Sirius asked as he looked between Aria and Harry in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Aria stood up and walked away, standing at the far side of the room as she tried to calm down.

Harry opened his eyes. "It _is_ her," he said in an awe-filled voice. "It all fits. Sirius, we know what happened to their daughter. Her name is Riley O'Malley, and she's a student here at Hogwarts."

"Really?" Sirius asked in surprise. "That girl from the TriWizard Tournament last year?"

Harry nodded. "She and Aria attended Silvergates Academy in America up until this year. A few days ago, she told me that her parents were members of a group called the Black Ravens and their house was burnt by Voldemort. It all fits."

"Wow," Sirius said, sounding more than slightly impressed. "I'd like to meet this girl, if she really is Helen and Stephen's daughter."

"Oh, and I'm sure she'd like to meet you since you seem to know so much about her family," Harry said with a smile, somehow able to imagine Riley and Sirius getting along very well.

"Well, I think I hear Kreacher coming, so I'll contact you later," Sirius said, and then disappeared from the fire.

Once Sirius was gone, there was silence throughout the entire room. Hermione and Ron looked at one another in surprise, then between Aria and Harry. Harry was getting to his feet, and Aria still facing away. Sensing the tension, Hermione said awkwardly, "Come on, Ron, let's go to dinner."

The two left without another word, leaving Aria and Harry alone. Harry hesitated before saying quietly, "I'm sorry if I upset you. I just wanted to know."

"Did you tell Riley you were going to ask Sirius about her?" Aria asked abruptly in a sharp, commanding voice that surprised Harry. He had never known her to be sharp or forceful, so to see such a fierce side of her was very uncharacteristic.

Harry hesitated, and then admitted, "No."

Aria turned and faced Harry, her arms folded and her eyes narrowed. "I don't know what all Riley has told you about herself and her parents, but I know that if she was willing to tell you about how they died, then she trusts you a lot. So I'm telling you, Harry Potter, _butt out and keep your mouth shut!_" Her eyes blazed with anger, surprising Harry.

"What'd I do?" Harry asked in surprise.

"You went and mouthed off about something that is _none_ of your business!" Aria snapped angrily, facing Harry. "I like you a lot, Harry, but there are some things that you _don't_ need to know. Why she told you about it, I don't know, but there's a reason why she _doesn't_ tell a lot of people. There are lines that once you cross, you can't go back over, and by telling others about what's happened, you're only pushing yourself _and_ Riley toward that line. Riley can only go so far over that line before she loses herself completely. I've seen her cross it before, and it was nearly impossible to pull her back. Next time, she might not be so lucky, and I will do anything to stop that from happening. I'm going to tell you right now: stay out of Riley's past!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry said, even more confused.

Aria shook her head and muttered, "Never mind. Just... just keep your mouth shut." With that, she ran up the stairs toward the girl's dormitory, not saying another word to Harry, and leaving him alone with his thoughts and confusion.


	11. Chapter 10: The Hogwarts High Inquisitor

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

Chapter Ten: The Hogwarts High Inquisitor

* * *

Harry walked out of Potions, fuming and dripping with embarrassment. Riley passed him on the way out and asked, "You read that stupid article in the _Prophet_?"

"Yeah," Harry scoffed. "I'm assuming you did, too?"

"Are you kidding?" Riley scoffed. "Between what they've said about you and what this latest one's said, I'm considering canceling my subscription altogether. It's a load of bull, is what it is! I mean, first of all, Umbridge is the least liked teacher in the entire school." She moaned and muttered, "I just wish they'd take it down from the wall..."

"_What_?" Harry asked, confused.

Riley sighed and said sarcastically while rolling her eyes, "The idiots that I room with have taken that lovely newspaper article, enlarged it to life-size, and put it up on the wall. I'm trying to find something in the clause of being a Prefect that enables me to take it down and set it on fire with Fiendfyre, but I can't find anything yet. I'm not giving up hope, though..."

"They put a life-size picture of Umbridge on the wall?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"It's like having a human-sized toad in a hideous pink cardigan on our wall," Riley said, shuddering with a disgusted look on her face. "It makes me loathe the idea of even walking through the common room."

"I can imagine," Harry said, and then sighed. "I've never wanted to be in Slytherin, but when I find out things like this, I'm _really _happy to not be."

"I can imagine," Riley said with a teasing grin. "Anyway, see ya around, Harry. I've gotta bolt." With that, she ran off, leaving Harry with Hermione and Ron.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as last week, was it?" said Hermione as they climbed the steps out of the dungeon and made their way across the entrance hall toward lunch. "And the homework didn't goo too badly either, did it?"

When neither Ron nor Harry answered, she pressed on, "I mean, all right, I didn't expect the top grade – not like Aria, anyway – not if he's marking to O.W.L. standard, but a pass is quite encouraging at this stage, would you say?"

Harry made a noncommittal noise in his throat.

"Of course, a lot can happen between now and the exam, we've got plenty of time to improve, but the grades we're getting now are a sort of baseline, aren't they? Something we can build on..."

They sat down together at the Gryffindor table.

"Obviously, I'd have been thrilled if I'd gotten an O –"

"Hermione," said Ron sharply, "if you want to know what grades we got, ask."

"I don't – I didn't mean – well, if you want to tell me –"

"I got a P," Ron snapped defensively, ladling soup into his bowl. "Happy?"

"Well, that's nothing to be ashamed of," said Fred, who had just arrived at the table with George and Lee Jordan and was sitting down on Harry's right. "Nothing's wrong with a good healthy P."

"But," said Hermione, "doesn't P stand for..."

"'Poor,' yeah," Lee Jordan said with a nod of agreement. "Still, better than D, isn't it? 'Dreadful'?"

Harry felt his grow warm and faked a small coughing fit over his roll. When he emerged from this he was sorry to find that Hermione was still in full flow about O.W.L. grades.

"So top grade's O for 'Outstanding'," she was saying, "and then there's A –"

"No, E," George corrected her, "E for 'Exceeds Expectations.' And I've thought Fred and I should've got E in everything, because we exceed expectations just by turning up for the exams."

They all laughed except Hermione, who plowed on, "So after E, it's A for 'Acceptable,' and that's the last pass grade, isn't it?"

"Yep," said Fred, dunking an entire roll in his soup, transferring it to his mouth, and swallowing it whole.

"Very lovely, Fred," Aria said sarcastically as she walked up and sat down beside Hermione, which seemed to make George look a little hurt. She looked at him, her arms folded on the table, and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Did you know that bread absorbs any liquids you eat with it or apply it to, and it will swell twice as much inside your stomach, and if you do it with milk it will actually solidify within your stomach that way?"

"Your point?" Fred asked, swallowing the bread.

"Nothing," Aria said with a smile, pouring herself some soup. "Just when you get a massive stomach ache in a few hours, don't try using a spell on it. It doesn't help."

Fred looked down at his stomach nervously, and George grinned in satisfaction and amusement.

"Hey, Aria," Harry said with a small smile. "We were just talking about O.W.L. grades."

"Ah, I see," Aria said, smiling. "Snape's class make you nervous again?"

Harry looked down at his food and said nothing.

"Then you get P for 'Poor,'" Hermione went on to say – Ron raised both his arms in mock celebration – "and D for 'Dreadful.'"

"And then T," George reminded her.

"T?" asked Hermione, looking appalled. "Even lower than a D? What on earth does that stand for?"

"'Troll'," Fred, George and Aria all said in unison.

Harry laughed again, though he was not sure whether or not they were joking.

"So, Aria," Ron said, looking over at Aria. "What grade did you get on your moonstone paper, or should I even ask?"

"If you mean, did I get an O?" Aria asked, raising an eyebrow at Ron, "No. I got an E. Do you really think that Snape would give me an O? I doubt he gives anyone an O."

"She's a fast learner," Fred said with a smile.

"What about Riley?" George asked curiously.

"E," Aria said with a sigh. "But my guess is that Snape's going to take his anger at her from today out on her potion, even though it was almost as good as mine and Hermione's." Hermione blushed.

"What'd she do _this_ time?" Fred asked in surprise.

Ron, Hermione, Harry and Aria all grinned in amusement. It was Harry who explained, "She corrected him in class, commented on how one of his instructions said to use bweezle feet instead of feezle feet. When he looked it up, he found out she was right, and he got really mad."

"_I_ knew it, too, but I wasn't about to point it out in class," Aria explained with a shrug. "I figured he could blow up a potion in his face and learn the difference really fast."

Everyone except Hermione began to laugh, and Lee said with a smile at George, "George, I like this girl. I can see what you like in her, too. Anyone who's willing to let Snape blow himself up has my vote."

George just blushed, though Aria made no hint of even having heard Lee.

"She really needs to stop correcting him," Hermione said with a displeased scowl. "Riley, I mean."

"Oh, come on," Ron said, looking at Hermione. "You can't tell me that when you saw his face turn red you didn't enjoy it." Hermione struggled hard not to smile, but failed miserably.

"Snape's face actually had color in it?" George asked in awe. "I can't wait until we have Potions with the two of them this afternoon."

"Where is she, anyways?" Ron asked, looking around. "Usually, Riley comes over here and talks to us after class."

"She's not in Gryffindor, remember?" Fred asked in a sour voice, suddenly in a bad mood.

"What's gotten up your butt all of a sudden?" Ron asked, sounding as surprised as Harry felt.

Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and suddenly understood why Fred was in a bad mood. Riley was sitting over there with a stack of papers on the table. Malfoy was straddling the seat so that he could get a better look at the papers, sitting extremely close to her. It seemed that Riley was trying to help him understand what he was looking over, but the fact that he kept looking up and smirking at Fred suggested that he was purposely sitting so close to Riley, as though claiming her as his property rather than Fred's.

"If it makes you feel any better about the grades," Aria said with a smile, clearly not noticing what only Fred and Harry saw, "Malfoy got a P, and Crabbe and Goyle got D's, and what's sad I think Riley helped them all with their homework."

"I'm sure she did," Fred muttered, then stood up and said, "I'm going to go get some more information on business stuff. See ya later." With that he marched off.

* * *

The rest of the day spun by unbelievably fast. Trelawney and McGonogall both got examined by Umbridge, only to have McGonogall embarrass Umbridge in front of everyone. Harry once again got in trouble for his detentions, and found himself in even more pain that he had imagined possible by the time he returned to the common room.

It was nearly midnight when Harry left Umbridge's office that night, his hand now bleeding so severely that it was staining the scarf he had wrapped around it. He expected the common room to be empty when he returned, but Ron and Hermione had sat up waiting for him. He was pleased to see them, especially as Hermione was disposed to be sympathetic rather than critical.

"Here," she said anxiously, pushing a small bowl of yellow liquid toward him, "soak your hand in that, it's a solution of strained and pickled murtlap tentacles, it should help."

Harry placed his bleeding, aching hand into the bowl and experienced a wonderful feeling of relief. Crookshanks curled around his legs, purring loudly, and then leapt into his lap and settled down.

"Thanks," he said gratefully, scratching behind Crookshank's ears with his left hand.

"I still reckon you should complain about this," said Ron in a low voice.

"No," said Harry flatly.

"McGonogall would go nuts if she knew –"

"Yeah, she probably would," said Harry dully. "And how long d'you reckon it'd take Umbridge to pass another Decree saying anyone who complains about the High Inquisitor gets sacked immediately?"

Ron opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out and after a moment he closed it again in a defeated sort of way.

"She's an awful woman," said Hermione in a small voice. "Awful. You know, I was just saying to Ron when you came in... we've got to do something about her."

"I suggested poison," said Ron grimly.

"No... I mean, something about what a dreadful teacher she is, and how we're not going to learn any defense from her at all," Hermione argued.

"Well, what can we do about that?" said Ron, yawning. "'S too late, isn't it? She's got the job, she's here to stay, Fudge'll make sure of that."

"Well," said Hermione tentatively. "You know, I was thinking today..." She shot a slightly nervous look at Harry and then plunged on, "I was thinking that – maybe the time's come when we should just – just do it ourselves."

"Do what ourselves?" said Harry suspiciously, still floating his hand in the essence of murtlap tentacles.

"She's talking about teaching ourselves magical defense, doof," a voice said grumpily.

Harry looked up in alarm and saw Aria making her way down the staircase into the common room, her eyes half-closed and exhausted.

"Aria!" Hermione said in alarm, obviously uncertain of what to do; she hadn't expected anyone to overhear her comments. "I didn't realize –"

"That you were keeping me awake with your pointless yammering until now?" Aria asked grumpily as she walked over and plopped herself down in front of one of the chairs, leaning back against it. She closed her eyes and waved somewhat daintily with her right hand as she said, "I have the hearing of a cat, remember? I can hear you all the way from upstairs, even if the other girls can't. Well, if you're going to make me listen, at least do it from close proximity. Go on."

Harry raised an eyebrow, remembering that Riley had once told him that Aria was an Animagus like she was herself, only Aria was a cat whereas Riley was a wolf.

Hermione hesitated before going on to say, "Well, she's right. I _did_ mean that we need to teach ourselves Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Come off it," groaned Ron. "You want us to do extra work? D'you realize Harry and I are behind on homework again and it's only the second week?"

"I can help in Potions," Aria muttered, flapping her hand out at Ron without ever moving the rest of her body. "I'm bored in both of my classes, anyway, and I've got two free periods."

"What _have_ you been doing in class?" Harry asked, blinking up at her in confusion. "You spend the entire time scribbling down notes before we ever begin class, and _during_ our Potion making."

"I watch others and see what they're doing wrong," Aria muttered, still not moving. "That way I can mark it down in my books, and give my observations to Riley to add to her own notes."

"It doesn't matter!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed. "This is much more important than homework!"

Harry and Ron stared at her in alarm, surprised by the force in her voice. All Aria did was get a puffy pillow off of the seat next to her and set it down on the ground, curling up with it beneath her head, still half-way awake.

"I didn't think there was anything in the universe more important than Homework," Ron said awkwardly, as though expecting the earth to open up beneath him at any moment.

"Don't be silly, of course there is!" said Hermione, and Harry saw, with an ominous relief, that her face was suddenly alight with the kind of fervor that S.P.E.W. usually inspired in her. "It's about preparing ourselves, like Harry said in Umbridge's first lesson, for what's waiting out there. It's about making sure we really can defend ourselves. If we don't learn anything for a whole year –"

"We can't do much by ourselves," said Ron in a defeated voice. "I mean, all right, we can go and look jinxes up in the library and try and practice them, I suppose –"

"No, I agree, we've gone past the stage where we can just learn things out of books," said Hermione with a nod. "We need a teacher, a proper one, who can show us how to use the spells and correct us if we're going wrong."

"If you're talking about Lupin..." Harry began.

"You're a total doof!" Aria suddenly moaned, throwing her pillow at Harry and scaring Crookshanks into hissing. Aria suddenly stared at the cat, wide-eyed, and her pupils began to change into that of a cat's. Crookshanks suddenly let out a meow of alarm and ran off of Harry's lap in fear. Aria then moaned back at Harry, "And you're a loud doof at that."

"What'd I say now?" Harry asked, confused.

"She's talking about _you_ teaching us," Aria moaned, leaning back against the chair again, leaning her head against the cushion.

There was a moment's silence, Harry and Ron looking at Aria in disbelief, and Hermione looking astonished at her intuition (or common sense).

"She's right again," Hermione said, sounding bewildered by Aria's eerie accuracy.

"About me what?" said Harry in disbelief.

"I'm talking about you teaching us Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione explained in an exasperated sigh.

Ron looked surprised at this idea. "_That's_ an idea."

"What's an idea?" Harry asked, confused.

"You," said Ron, "Teaching us to do it."

"But..." Harry was grinning now, sure that both of them were pulling his leg, and Aria about to fall asleep.

"Look guys," Aria said, sitting up and stretching her arms. When she opened her eyes, they were half-closed, and she muttered, "I'm going to go to sleep in this chair, if you don't mind. Hermione, if that cat of yours attacks me, you'll find yourself waking up to red fur all over you. Boys, good night. If anyone asks, I'm my own cat."

"What are you – _whoa_!" Ron asked, only to nearly fall back as Aria suddenly transformed into a solid black cat with brown eyes. She jumped up onto the chair and curled up in a ball, tucking her tail around her nose and drifting off into sleep. Ron stared and pointed at Aria as though she was an alien, stammering as he said, "She just... Who knew... How could..."

"You didn't know?" Hermione asked in surprise, looking at Ron with one eyebrow raised.

"You knew she was an Animagus?" Harry asked in surprise, looking at Hermione.

Hermione nodded and said, "Yeah, sometimes when the girls wake up, they can't find Aria in her bed, but it's because she's transformed in her sleep and is under the blanket."

"That's bizarre," Ron said, looking at cat-Aria in surprise, who had already drifted off to sleep.

Hermione shrugged and said, "That's Aria."

* * *

"A defense club?" Riley asked with interest, raising an eyebrow at Harry the next day in the library.

Harry nodded and said, "Yeah, Hermione reckons it would be good for kids to know how to fight Voldemort."

"She's right," Riley said, running through the moonstone paper. She shook her head and said, "What did you do this paper in, like, fifteen minutes? You completely skipped over the part about it healing... Oh, good grief!"

"Can you help me with it or not?" Harry snapped impatiently.

Riley narrowed her eyes at Harry and said impatiently, but in a quiet voice, "Yes, I can help you, Harry, but if you're going to bite my head off for your laziness, you'd better bark up another tree."

"I'm _not_ being lazy!" Harry said defensively. "I had detention."

"So did I," Riley retorted. "An hour longer each night than you did, too, yet I _still_ found the time to do my homework and at least get a passing grade." She sighed and sighed, "Take your own notes, quit borrowing Hermione's, and maybe some of this will make sense to you when O.W.L.s come around." With that, she turned back to the paper and continued editing it.

In spite of their snaps and retorts, Harry was actually very grateful for Riley's help. They were spending their free period in the library, working over Harry's moonstone paper. It wouldn't help him for a grade, but at least he might understand it better later. She'd agreed to meet with him in the library during the one free period that they both shared, and he'd found himself talking about Hermione's idea, and discussing his concerns.

"So, you think Hermione's idea is good?" Harry asked, sounding surprised.

"If _you're_ willing to teach, yeah, I think it'd be a great idea," Riley admitted, scribbling away.

"Me?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Harry," Riley said, looking up at him with a serious expression. "Hermione's suggesting that you do this because you're the only one who's faced _him_. That's not a good thing to have on your resume, but it's still there. It's given you experience that no one else has. No one should have to have that experience, but Voldemort is obsessed with Hogwarts, and seeing as these students are all here and practically waiting to get picked up and eaten by that snake, they might as well be able to defend themselves and give the others a fighting chance."

"So you're saying I _have_ to do this?" Harry asked, somewhat defensively.

Riley shook her head and said, "No. If you don't want to do this, you're only going to screw up the other kids and make them resent you as much as you resent them. Still, I _do_ think that it's a good idea that they learn how to defend themselves, considering that _he's_ out there now and wouldn't hesitate to kill a student if they were in his path."

Harry hesitated, and then asked suspiciously, "This doesn't have anything to do with you wanting to defy Umbridge, does it?"

Riley looked up from her paper and said with a mischievous grin, "The thought hadn't occurred to me, but now that you mention it, it's not a bad excuse. Thank you for _that_ pleasantry that will forever be burned into my mind." She continued with the paper. "What did Ron and Hermione say when you blew up at them?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, looking at Riley in suspicion.

"Come on, you can't lie to me, Harry," Riley said, glancing over at Harry before looking back at the paper. "By the expression on your face and the grunt in your voice when you told me about this, I know you had an argument with them. What did they do?"

"They laughed at me," Harry muttered in defeat. "Pushed the idea on me, didn't understand what I meant, when I tried to tell them that I didn't know anything worth teaching."

"Clearly they hadn't read your paper," Riley muttered under her breath, flipping to the next page, the first already marked up with red ink that Riley was using, which Harry was surprised at considering how much it reminded him of his detentions. "Otherwise they'd be raising laughter louder than the choir sings."

Harry glared at her, and she smiled up at him and held her hands up defensively to say, "All right, enough cracks about your paper."

"Fine, I'll leave it alone, for now."

"So, do you think I should do it?" Harry asked uncomfortably.

Riley sighed and set the quill down, turning herself completely to face Harry. "I think that if you _want_ to help others learn how to defend themselves against Voldemort, that you should. I know, personally, that if it hadn't been for you and that snake last year showing up exactly when you two did, I would have been the one who visited the graveyard, and chances are I wouldn't have made it out alive."

"I don't believe that," Harry said, shaking his head and smiling affectionately at Riley.

Riley shrugged and said, "We'll never know, Harry, and I'm not going to debate something that's as pointless as that. I'm a strong witch, I know that, but when it comes down to it, there's a lot that I don't know. Now, I'm not going to sit here and compare notes with you on who knows more and who's been through more crap, but I think there's a lot that you have to teach, a lot that I can learn, and a whole amount of stuff that ninety-nine percent of the kids in this school don't know. I think that, as a group, there's a lot that we can learn, but only if you're willing to take that step and do it." She shrugged and said, "It's your choice, and only you can make it." With that, she turned back to the paper, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts.


	12. Chapter 11: In The Hog's Head

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Eleven: In The Hog's Head

* * *

Harry had a gut feeling that today was going to be awful and he was going to regret it. It had been just over two weeks since he'd discussed the idea of a defense club with Riley, and a few days since he'd agreed to have this meeting, to help out people who wanted to learn. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he knew that he had his friends' support, which only offered a little support. The meeting was set to be held in the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade. The day had finally arrived, and Ron, Hermione and Harry were all waiting in the practically abandoned business building.

"You know what?" Ron murmured, looking over the bar with enthusiasm. "We could order anything we liked in here, I bet that bloke would sell us anything, he wouldn't care. I've always wanted to try firewhisky –"

"You – are – a – _prefect_," snarled Hermione.

"Oh," said Ron, the smile fading from his face. "Yeah..."

"I guess it's not as good as people make it out to be," Harry said with a frown. "Gives you indigestion, makes your mouth feel like it's burning, and with some people it even makes them breathe fire if they hiccup within an hour later."

Hermione and Ron stared at Harry in disbelief, and he said defensively, "_Riley and Aria told me!_"

"_Riley_ and Aria _have_ tried firewhisky?" Ron said, sounding like he didn't believe Harry. He hesitated, then admitted, "I guess that sounds like Riley."

"Some prank when they went to Silvergates, I guess," Harry said, shrugging. "They broke into their Transfigurations teacher's office, drank the whole lot of his firewhisky and ran back to their room. Aria passed out, I guess, too much to drink, and Riley ending up so drunk that she could barely carry her back. I guess they got a month worth of detentions for that."

"How'd they get caught?" Hermione asked, confused.

Harry hesitated, and then admitted sheepishly, "I think Riley said that she accidentally set the Slytherin dormitory on fire because she started hiccupping and blew fire out about half a dozen times."

Ron winced and Hermione looked appalled.

"It's no wonder she got expelled!" Hermione exclaimed. "I'm surprised she didn't _before_ this year."

Harry said nothing, partially because he agreed. "So," he said, changing the subject. "Who did you say is supposed to be meeting us?"

"Just a couple of people," Hermione repeated, checking her watch. "I told them to be here about now and I'm sure they all know where it is – oh look, this might be them now –"

The door of the pub opened. A thick band of dusty sunlight split the room in two for a moment and then vanished, blocked by the incoming rush of a crowd of people.

First came Neville with Dean and Lavender, who were closely followed by Parvati and Padma Patil with Cho and one of her usually giggling friends, then (on her own and looking so dreamy that she might have walked in by accident) Luna Lovegood; then Katie Bell, Alicia Spinner, and Angelina Johnson, Colin and Dennis Creevy, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbot and a Hufflepuff girl with a long plait down her back whose name Harry did not know; three Ravenclaw boys he was pretty sure were called Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, and Terry Boot; Ginny, closely followed by a tall skinny boy with an upturned nose whom Harry recognized vaguely as being a member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and bringing up the rear, Fred and George with Aria and Riley, all of them talking intently on something, along with their friend Lee Jordan. George, Fred and Jordan were all carrying bags crammed with Zonko's merchandise.

Riley's eyes lit up when she saw certain people and walked over to Anthony Goldstein, Hannah Abbot, Ernie Macmillan and Padma Patil. She walked over and hit fists up and down with the boys, smiling at Hannah and Padma, and Harry realized that she was talking to the other Prefects.

"A couple of people?" said Harry hoarsely to Hermione.

"Yes, well, the idea seemed popular," said Hermione happily. "Ron, do you want to pull up some more chairs?"

The barman had frozen in the act of wiping a glass with a rag so filthy it looked as though it had never been washed. Possibly he had never seen his pub so full.

"Hi," said Fred, reaching the bar first and counting his companions quickly. "Could we have... twenty-five butterbeers, please?"

The barman glared at him for a moment, then, throwing down his rag irritably as though he had been interrupted in something very important, he started passing up dusty butterbeers from under the bar.

"Cheers," said Fred, handing them out. "Cough up, everyone; I haven't got enough gold for all of these..."

"You know what I just realized?" Hermione asked in surprise, looking around. "There are seven out of eight Prefects here."

Harry blinked in surprise when he realized that Hermione was right. The only one missing was Malfoy, and there was no way that anyone, even Riley, was going to invite him. Still, she was talking a lot with Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff, and the other Prefects, her arms folded as she talked. Watching them, Harry thought back to the start-of-term feast, when the Sorting Hat and Hermione had talked about inner-house friendship. Watching the five Prefects laugh and talk together, sharing information and updates, Harry wondered if it was possible for the Houses, even Slytherin, to make friends. After all, Riley was from Slytherin, and she didn't seem to have a problem with any of the other Houses.

Harry watched numbly as the large chattering group took their beers from Fred and rummaged in their robes to find coins. He could not imagine what all these people had turned up for until the horrible thought occurred to him that they might be expecting some kind of speech, at which he rounded on Hermione.

"What have you been telling people?" Harry hissed under his breath, just loudly enough for her to hear. "What are they expecting?"

"I've told you, they just want to hear what you've got to say," Hermione replied soothingly; but Harry continued to look at her so furiously that she added quickly, "You don't have to do anything yet, I'll speak to them first."

"Hi, Harry," said Neville, beaming and taking a seat opposite Harry.

Harry tried to smile back, but did not speak; his mouth was exceptionally dry. Cho had just smiled at him and sat down on Ron's right. Riley was moving toward the back of the room, promising to talk to Hannah Abbot later, and leaned against the back wall, Fred walking over to stand by her. She set a foot against the wall and crossed her arms while looking at Harry. Harry could guarantee Riley's support, especially since it meant opposing Umbridge, which gave him a little hope. Aria and George sat down near their friends, watching with interest.

In twos and threes, the new arrivals settled around Harry, Ron and Hermione, some looking rather excited, others curious, Luna Lovegood gazing dreamily into space. When everybody had pulled up a chair, the chatter died out. Every eye was upon Harry.

"Er," said Hermione, her voice slightly Harry than usual out of nerves. "Well – er – hi."

The group focused its attention on her instead, though eyes continued to dart back regularly to Harry.

"Well... erm... well, you know why you're here. Erm... well, Harry had the idea – I mean" - Harry had thrown her a sharp look - "I had the idea – that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defense Against the Dark Arts – and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us" (Hermione's voice became suddenly much stronger and more confident) - "because nobody could call that Defense Against the Dark Arts" - "Hear, hear," said Anthony Goldstein, and Hermione looked heartened - "Well, I thought that it would be good if we, well, took matters into our hands." She paused, looked sideways at Harry, and went on, "And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just theory but the real spells –"

"You want to pass your Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L., too though, I bet?" said Michael Corner, who was watching her closely.

"Of course, I do," said Hermione at once. "But I want more than that, I want to be properly trained in Defense because... because..." She took a great breath and finished, "Because Lord Voldemort's back."

The reaction was immediate and predictable. Cho's friend shrieked and slopped butterbeer down herself, Terry Boot gave a kind of involuntary twitch, Padma Patil shuddered, and Neville gave an odd yelp that he managed to turn into a cough. Riley stared at Hermione with an impressed look on her face.

"Well... that's the plan anyway," said Hermione. "If you want to join us, we need to decide how we're going to –"

"Where's the proof You-know-Who's back?" said the blond Hufflepuff player in a rather aggressive tone.

Riley twitched, having predicted this topic to come up.

"Well, Dumbledore believes it –" Hermione began.

"You mean, Dumbledore believes _him_," said the blond boy, nodding to Harry.

"Who are _you_?" said Ron rather rudely.

"Zacharias Smith," said the boy, "And I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who's back."

"Look," said Hermione, intervening swiftly, "that's really not what this meeting I supposed to be about–"

"It's okay, Hermione," said Harry.

It had just dawned upon him why there were so many people there. He felt that Hermione should have seen this coming. Some of these people – maybe even most of them – had turned up in the hope of hearing Harry's story firsthand.

"What makes me say You-Know-Who's back?" he repeated, looking Zacharias straight in the face.

Riley blinked slowly, knowing what this must feel like for Harry. She'd been questioned a million times by Slytherins about what had happened, and she knew the anger that came from it, wanting to get past it but unable to because no one else would. Still, Harry was doing it.

"I saw him. But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year; if you didn't believe him and you don't believe me, then you might as well clear out, because I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone."

The whole group seemed to have held its breath while Harry spoke, and he looked up to see Riley smiling proudly at him. Harry had the impression that even the barman was listening in. He was wiping the same glass with the same filthy rag; it was becoming steadily dirtier.

Zacharias said dismissively, "All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts. He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know –"

Riley flexed her fingers in irritation, wanting so badly to transform and knock some sense into the kid. But she could feel Fred's fingers against her forearm, warning her not to do anything, even though he was still unaware about her transfiguration abilities at their fullest.

Harry stormed and said, "If you've come here to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you. I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out."

He cast an angry look in Hermione's direction. This was, he felt, all her fault; she had decided to display him like some sort of freak and of course the had all turned up to see just how wild his story was... But none of them left their seats, not even Zacharias Smith, though he continued to gaze intently at Harry.

"So," said Hermione, her voice very high-pitched again. "So... like I was saying... if you want to learn some defense, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet, and where we're going to–"

"Is it true," interrupted the girl with the long plait down her back, looking at Harry, "That you can produce a Patronus?"

There was a murmur of interest around the group at this.

"Yeah," said Harry, slightly defensively.

"A corporeal Patronus?"

The phrase stirred something in Harry's memory. "Er – you don't know Madam Bones, do you?" he asked.

The girl smiled. "She's my auntie. I'm Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing. So – is it really true? You make a stag Patronus?"

"Yes," said Harry.

"Blimey, Harry!" said Lee, looking deeply impressed. "I never knew that!"

Harry looked back at Fred, and Fred shrugged and said while grinning, "Mum told Ron not to spread it around. She said you got enough attention as it was."

"She's not wrong," mumbled Harry and a couple of people laughed. The veiled witch sitting alone shifted very slightly in her seat.

"And did you kill a basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" demanded Terry Boot. "That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year..."

"Er – yeah, I did, yeah," said Harry.

Justin Finch-Fletchley whistled, the Creevy brothers exchanged awestruck looks, and Lavender Brown said "wow" softly. Harry was feeling slightly hot around the collar now.

"And in our first year," said Neville to the group at large, "he saved that Sorcerous stone –"

"Sorcerer's," hissed Hermione.

"Yes, that, from You-Know-Who."

Hannah Abbot's eyes were as round as Galleons, and even Riley felt impressed while listening to all of this, though she noticed that Harry was turning darker by the minute with embarrassment.

"And that's not to mention," said Cho, "all the tasks he had to get through in the TriWizard Tournament last year – getting past dragons and merpeople and acromantulas and things..."

There was a murmur of impressed agreement around the table.

"Look," Harry said, and everyone fell silent at once, "I... I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be modest or anything, but... I had a lot of help with all that stuff..."

"Not with the dragon, you didn't," said Michael Corner at once. "That was a seriously cool bit of flying..."

"Yeah, well –" said Harry, feeling it would be churlish to disagree.

"And nobody helped you get rid of those dementors this summer," said Susan Bones.

"No," said Harry, "No, okay, I know I did bits of it without help, but the point I'm trying to make is –"

"Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?" Zacharias Smith chimed in, clearly jumping at the chance to mock Harry.

"Here's an idea," said Ron loudly, before Harry could speak, "Why don't you shut your mouth?"

Perhaps the word 'weasel' had affected Ron particularly strongly; in any case, he was now looking at Zacharias as though he would like nothing better than to thump him. Zacharias flushed, and Riley wished more than anything that she could have been the one to say it. Her fists were clenched, and Fred had moved his hand down to her left wrist in order to keep her from grabbing her wand.

"Well, we've all turned up to learn from him, and now he's telling us he can't really do any of it," Zacharias said.

"Oh, so help me if you open your mouth again, I'm going to slam it shut for you," Riley suddenly said through gritted teeth.

Everyone looked over at Riley in surprise, and Zacharias exclaimed in anger, "What did you say?"

"You heard me," Riley said, turning darker every moment. "Shut up and listen to Harry's explanation, or get out of here before I _make_ you be quiet."

"Would someone please explain to me why a _Slytherin_ is here?" Zacharias said through narrowed eyes, looking at the room of silent people.

"She has as much right to be here as you do," Fred snapped defensively as he stood up straight. "And you'd better shut up before George and I _make_ you shut up." George pulled out a long and lethal-looking metal instrument from inside one of the Zonko's bag.

"You're talking awful big for a guy holding onto her hand," Zacharias sneered, looking at where Fred was holding onto Riley's wrist.

"That's because I'm trying to keep her from killing you," Fred said darkly to the Hufflepuff.

"Yeah right," Zacharias sneered. "Everyone in the school knows that Slytherins are no-good traitors who care about no one other than themselves."

"That's it," Riley said, suddenly grabbing her wand with her right hand, unable to move her left with Fred's hand on it. She thrust her wand forward at Zacharias, and less than a second later, a blue light shot across the room, hitting Zacharias and knocking him over onto the floor. As he began to get up, he opened his mouth to say something, and then clamped his hands over it in horror.

"Riley!" Hermione, Ron and Harry suddenly said in alarm, all getting to their feet.

"She just did a spell without saying anything!" Susan shrieked in surprise and awe.

Everyone looked at Riley in awe, no one seeming to care about Zacharias being under a spell. He looked angry and offended that everyone's attention was on the girl who'd hexed him.

"How did you learn to do spells like that?" Terry Boot asked, looking at her in awe.

"My teacher taught me," Riley said as she lowered her wand. "I was a third-year when I learned how."

"But those aren't taught until your _sixth_ year," Michael argued.

Riley shrugged and said, "I was ahead of most of the kids in my year; so was Aria. It came in use during the TriWizard Tournament last year more than once."

There were several murmurs of awe.

"Yes, well," said Hermione hastily, "Moving on... the point is, are we agreed we want to take lessons from Harry?"

There was a murmur of general agreement. Zacharias folded his arms and glared at Riley, who still hadn't released the spell on him, and said nothing, not that he could have even if he wanted to. His eyes, though, weren't on Riley, but on the metal instrument in George's hands.

"Right," said Hermione, looking relieved that something had at least been settled. "Well, then, the next question is how often we do it. I really don't think there's any point in meeting less than once a week –"

"Hang on," said Angelina, "we need to make sure this doesn't clash with our Quidditch practice."

"No," said Cho, "nor with ours."

Zacharias Smith opened his mouth to put in his opinion, but closed it and glared at Riley, who was narrowing her eyes in deep thought.

"I'm sure that we can find a day out of each week that doesn't conflict with Quidditch practices," Hermione said, looking between each of the people who had spoken (or tried to speak).

"Uh, this is rather important, we're talking about learning to defend ourselves against V-Voldemort's Death eaters –"

"Well said!" barked Ernie Macmillan, whom Harry had been expecting to speak long before this. Harry saw Riley look up over at Ernie and smile when she listened to her fellow Prefect talk. It was as though she was proud of each of her fellow Prefects, friends with them all. Ernie went on to say, "Personally, I think this is really important, possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year, even with our O.W.L.s coming up!" He looked around impressively, as though waiting for people to cry "Surely not!" When nobody spoke, he went on, "I, personally, a at a loss to see why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher upon us at this critical period. Obviously they are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who, but to give us a teacher who is trying to actively prevent us from using defensive spells–"

"We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained in Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione, "is that she's got some... some mad idea that Dumbledore could use the students in the school as a kind of private army. She thinks he'd mobilize us against the Ministry."

Nearly everybody looked stunned at this news; everybody except Luna Lovegood, who piped up, "Well, that makes sense."

Aria, who had also not appeared surprised because she'd been there when Sirius had explained this, piped up and said in a somewhat serious voice, "Go on, Hermione."

Hermione hesitated, and then said, "Yes, you're right..."

"Well, once a week sounds cool," said Lee Jordan with a shrug.

"As long as –" began Angelina.

"Yes, yes, we know about the Quidditch," said Hermione in a tense voice. "Well, the other thing to decide is where we're going to meet."

This was rather more difficult; the whole group fell silent.

"Library?" suggested Katie Bell after a few moments.

"I can't see Madam Pince being too chuffed with us doing jinxes in the library," Harry pointed out, trying to not laugh at the mere idea.

They deliberated for the next several minutes about where to go, and then Hermione said, "Right, well, we'll try to find somewhere. I – I think everybody should write their name down, just so we know who was here. But I also think," she took a deep breath, "that we all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge – or anybody else – what we're up to."

Fred reached out for the parchment cheerfully and put down his signature. Riley did the same, as did George and Aria; but Harry noticed at once that several people looked less than happy at the prospect of putting their names on the list.

Zacharias held up a hand, unable to talk, when George tried passing him the parchment. He pointed at Ernie, indicating to talk to him.

"I – well, we are prefects," Ernie burst out. "And if this list was found... well, I mean to say... you said yourself, if Umbridge finds out..."

"You just said this group was the most important thing you'd do this year," Harry reminded him.

"I – yes," Ernie said uneasily. "Yes, I do believe that, it's just..."

"Ernie, do you really think I'd leave that list lying around?" Hermione responded testily.

Before Ernie could respond, Riley said, "It's okay, Ernie, it'll be safe with Hermione."

Ernie hesitated, then said, "No. No, of course I don't think she'd do that... Yes, of course I'll sign."

Nobody raised objections after Ernie, though Harry saw Cho's friend give her a rather reproachful look before adding her name. When the last person – Zacharias – had signed, Hermione took the parchment back and slipped it carefully into her bag.

Once sure that they were done, Harry nodded to Riley, grabbed her attention, and said aloud, "Let him talk again."

Riley looked from Harry to Zacharias, who looked at her in annoyance, and she rolled her eyes before giving her wand a wave. Zacharias let out a gasp that could be heard, then glared at Riley before storming off, not bothering to say anything.

Once everyone was gone, Hermione, Ron and Harry hung around, still clutching their bottles of butterbeer.

"That Zacharias bloke's a wart," said Ron, who was glowering after the figure of Smith just discernible in the distance. "Good on Riley to silence him, made for a pleasant second half."

"I don't like him much either," admitted Hermione, "but he overheard me talking to Ernie and Hannah at the Hufflepuff table and seemed really interested in coming, so what could I say? But the more people the better really – I mean, Michael Corner and his friends wouldn't have come if he hadn't been going out with Ginny –"

Ron, who had been draining the last few drops from his butterbeer bottle, gagged and sprayed butterbeer down his front. "He's WHAT? She's going out with – my sister's going – what d'you mean, Michael Corner?"

"Well, that's why he and his friends came, I think – well, they're obviously interested in learning defense, but if Ginny hadn't told Michael what was going on –"

"When did this – when did she –"

"They met at the Yule Ball and they got together at the end of last year," said Hermione composedly. "Riley and Aria know, too, considering that Riley's one of Ginny's best friends." They had turned into the High Street and she paused outside Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, where there was a handsome display of pheasant-feather quills in the window. "Hmm... I could do with a new quill."

She turned into the shop, Harry and Ron followed her.

"Which one was Michael Corner?" Ron demanded furiously.

"The dark one," Hermione explained.

"I didn't like him," said Ron at once.

"Big surprise," said Hermione under her breath.

"But," said Ron, following Hermione along a row of quills in copper pots. "I thought Ginny fancied Harry!"

Hermione looked at him rather pityingly and shook her head. "Ginny _used_ to fancy Harry, but she gave up on him months ago. Not that she doesn't like you, of course," she added kindly to Harry, while she examined a long black and gold quill.

Harry suddenly realized something that had never really occurred to him until now. "So that's why she talks now?" he asked Hermione. "She never used to talk in front of me."

"Exactly," said Hermione. "Yes, I think I'll have this one..."

She went up to the counter and handed over her money. "Ron," she said severely as she turned and trod on his feet, "this is exactly why Ginny hasn't told you she's seeing Michael, she knew you'd take it badly. So don't harp on about it, for heaven's sake."

"What d'you mean, who's taking anything badly? I'm not going to _harp on_ about anything..."

Ron continued to chunter under his breath all the way down the street. Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry and then said in an undertone, while Ron was muttering imprecations about Michael Corner, "I think you've got their support, the others. Just keep a level head and get ready for anything."

"Oh, believe me," Harry muttered under his breath. "I am."


	13. Chapter 12: Educational Decree 24

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Education Decree #24

* * *

"Riley!"

Riley turned her head in surprise and saw Draco running into the common room, a smile on his face. "Have you read the latest news?"

"News on what?" Riley asked, confused.

"Education Decree number twenty-four?" Harry said in disbelief as he looked over the shoulders of some anxious-looking Second Years.

"Does this mean they're going to shut down the Gobstones Club?" one of them asked his friend.

"I reckon you'll be okay with Gobstones," Ron said darkly, making the second year jump. "I don't think we're going to be as lucky, though, do you?" he asked Harry as the second years hurried away.

Harry was reading through the notice again. The happiness that had filled him since Saturday was gone. His insides were pulsing with rage. "This isn't a coincidence," he said, his hands forming fists. "She knows."

"She can't," said Ron at once, sounding thoroughly panicked.

"There were people listening in that pub. And let's face it, we don't know how many of them who turned up we can trust... Any of them could have run off and told Umbridge...

"Harry," Aria said as she suddenly entered the room, a panicked look on her face. George and Fred were right behind her, all three looking nervous.

"I know, guys," Harry said, knowing exactly what Aria was going to say.

"Do you think Hermione knows about this?" Ron asked in panic.

"Do I know about what?" Hermione asked as she walked over from the girl's dormitory.

"Have you seen this?" Ron asked, dragging her over to the notice board.

Hermione's eyes slid rapidly down the notice board. Her expression became stony.

"Someone must have blabbed to her!" Ron said angrily.

"They can't have," said Hermione in a low voice.

"You're so naïve," Ron scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "You think just because you're all honorable and trustworthy –"

"No, they can't have done because I put a jinx on that piece of parchment we all signed," said Hermione grimly, surprising the others.

"Way to go, Hermione," Fred said, sounding impressed. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"What'll happen to them?" said Ron eagerly.

"Well, put it this way," Hermione said slowly as she narrowed her eyes seriously, "It'll make Eloise Midgen's acne look like a couple of cute freckles. Come on, let's go down to breakfast and see what the others think... I wonder whether this has been put up in all the Houses?"

It had.

When the group went downstairs, they saw Neville, Dean and Ginny all waiting in panic. Riley was a little ways down the hall, looking over at them nervously, but saying nothing because Malfoy, Pansy and Montague were surrounding her, along with Crabbe, Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode.

The Gryffindors came up and asked quietly. "Did you see it?"

"D'you reckon she knows?"

"What are we going to do?"

They were all looking at Harry. He glanced around to make sure there were no teachers near them. "We're going to do it, anyway, of course," he said quietly, knowing perfectly well that Riley could hear him with her freaky wolf ears.

"Knew you'd say that," said George, beaming and thumping Harry on the arm.

"The prefects, as well?" said Fred, looking quizzically at Ron and Hermione.

"Of course," said Hermione coolly. "And while you're at it, why not ask Riley – _another_ Prefect – her opinion on that?"

Fred looked behind him and saw Riley staring at him without hiding her annoyance. He forced a smile and blushed, only to look back in embarrassment.

"Here come Ernie and Hannah Abbot," said Ron, looking over his shoulder. "And those Ravenclaw blokes and Smith... and no one looks very spotty."

Hermione looked alarmed. "Never mind spots, the idiots can't come over here now, it'll look really suspicious – sit down!" she mouthed to Ernie and Hannah, gesturing frantically to rejoin the Hufflepuff table.

When they didn't stop, Riley walked over from where she was already standing and whispered something to Hannah and Ernie. Padma and Anthony seemed to sense what she was doing, looked at Hermione, and Hermione gestured to back off. They all ended up leaving, only to have Riley glance over, nod to them, and walk over to her table, where her classmates were sitting down.

"Harry! Ron!"

It was Angelina and she was hurrying toward them looking perfectly desperate. "It's okay," said Harry quietly, when she was near enough to hear him. "We're still going to –"

"You realize she's including Quidditch in this?" Angelina said over him. "We have to go and ask permission tore-form the Gryffindor team!"

"_What?_" Harry exclaimed.

"No way," said Ron, appalled.

"You read the sign, it mentions teams, too! So listen, Harry... I am saying this for the last time... Please, _please_ don't lose your temper with Umbridge again or she might not let us play anymore!"

"Okay, okay," said Harry, for Angelina looked as though she was on the verge of tears. "Don't worry, I'll behave myself..."

"Bet Umbridge is in History of Magic," said Ron grimly, as they set off for Binns's lesson. "She hasn't inspected Binns yet... Bet you anything she's there..."

* * *

By the time they got to Snape's classroom, Harry was fuming over the incident with Hedwig. Intercepted? Who would want to intercept Hedwig? Only one name came to mind.

To make matters worse, everyone was gossiping outside about the latest educational decree. Riley was standing with the Slytherins, but only looked interested when the Gryffindors came over, her eyes brightening, only to dull when she glanced back at Malfoy, who was waving a piece of parchment and talking much louder than was necessary so that they could hear every word.

"Yeah, Umbridge gave the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to continue playing straightaway. I went to ask her first thing this morning. Well, it was pretty much automatic, I mean, she knows my father really well, he's always popping in and out of the Ministry... It'll be interesting to see whether Gryffindor are allowed to keep playing, won't it?

"You know, Draco," Riley said in a forced friendly tone, talking loud enough for others to hear. "An easy season without anyone to play against would be totally boring. I mean, you said it yourself earlier this morning that Ravenclaw are low-class, mediocres who can't fly, and Hufflepuff are total weaklings who can't score a single point, so why put yourself through the agony of another season without anyone real to play against?"

Several of the kids around them laughed, and Malfoy looked at Riley, only to say, "Just because _you're_ intimidated by the Gryffindors doesn't mean that the rest of us are."

There were several "oooh's" from the group, and Riley narrowed her eyes at Malfoy with a smile on her face, though Harry recognized the look and knew that she was all but happy. She then said in a dark voice, "Eat shit, Draco."

With that, she stormed off down the hallway, leaving behind a very confused Malfoy and a group of laughing spectators. Even Ron and Hermione were trying not to laugh as Malfoy looked like he'd just been struck by Riley. A moment later, Malfoy took off down the hallway after Riley, leaving the others to go into Snape's class.

Riley stormed down the hallway, feeling a combination of rage and disbelief. Fact was that she didn't care if she missed Potions, because today was Umbridge's inspection, and the last thing she needed right now was to be around Umbridge.

"Riley!"

Riley didn't stop, only said aloud, "Leave me alone, Draco! You might not know when I'll get intimidated by _you_ next."

"Look, stop," Draco said as he pulled up behind Riley, grabbing onto her by the arm.

Riley stopped only to turn around and say, "Sod off, Draco. You crossed a line back there. Not only are you a poor sport with no sense whatsoever of sportsmanship, but you embarrassed me in front of everyone in Slytherin and Gryffindor because you thought it was cool to make me look bad."

"That's not why I said that," Draco explained.

"Oh, really?" Riley asked with mock interest. "Then how do you excuse that?"

"I..." Draco began, unable to come up with anything.

Riley rolled her eyes and walked off, saying aloud, "Better get back so Snape doesn't kill you for missing class."

* * *

Harry was watching intently with a load of interest and mocking as Umbridge interrogated Snape mercilessly.

"You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" Professor Umbridge asked Snape.

"Yes," said Snape quietly.

"But you were unsuccessful?"

Snape's lip curled. "Obviously."

Umbridge scribbled on her clipboard. "And you have applied regularly for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post since you first joined the school, I believe?"

"Yes," said Snape quietly, barely moving his lips. He looked very angry.

"Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?" asked Umbridge.

"I suggest you ask him," said Snape jerkily.

"Oh, I shall," said Umbridge with a sweet smile.

"Malfoy!" Snape said loudly.

Harry turned his head and saw in surprise that Malfoy had just entered the room and was walking down to his seat, looking rather sheepish. When Riley didn't come in after him, Harry began to suspect the worst. Riley had missed class!

"Sorry for being late, Professor," Malfoy said as he sat down.

Snape's lip curled again, clearly taking his anger at Umbridge out on Malfoy. "You will stay after class for detention and write me two sixteen-inch parchments on your own time; one on the potion completed today in class, how it's used and how to compose it, and the second being on why it's inexcusable to be late to my class."

Umbridge made yet another note on her clipboard, clearly interested in the going-ons of the class.

Harry rolled his eyes, but secretly wondered what had happened to Riley.


	14. Chapter 13: Nice To Meet You

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Nice To Meet You

* * *

Riley stormed down the hallway, unable to stop the disbelief and anger she felt. She could hear glass around her begin to shake, threatening to break, and she forced herself to let out a sigh, somewhat relaxing her. She couldn't risk getting caught breaking anything here. She couldn't risk getting kicked out.

Before she had realized it, Riley found herself out in the Quidditch field. She stood in the center of it, looking up at the sky. She couldn't explain why this place was of such comfort to her, only knew that in all of the madness, this was the one place she felt that she could come and stop all of the screaming going on in her head, the one place where she could relax.

She couldn't relax in the Slytherin tower. No, too many accusing eyes and too many comments about non-Purebloods. She couldn't do it with the Gyrffindors. No, too many people who still looked at her funny, as though she was a traitor for being in Slytherin. The library was too full of stationary objects that she could break. The Great Hall was full of people and noise. No, this was the perfect place.

Riley frowned as she looked up at the three rings in the field, the side where Slytherin would defend. She still hadn't told her friends from Gryffindor that she was on the Slytherin team. The next game was coming up soon, and no one knew. She'd made the Slytherins promise to keep quiet about it until she was ready to say anything, and only Draco seemed to understand that things were extremely awkward for her, not that she was ashamed. She was looking forward to the game, but she couldn't imagine having to go up against her friends. The first game of the season was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, and Riley could barely stand the thought of how her friends would respond when she stepped out onto that field in green and silver and black robes.

"Riley?"

Riley turned her head in surprise when she heard the voice. She saw Fred walking over, an eyebrow raised in surprise and confusion. Riley was just as confused, but her confusion was because she'd been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed Fred coming toward her. Normally, she could sense someone within a hundred feet. But now... she hadn't suspected him at all.

The thought was unnerving as much as strange.

Fred looked at Riley and said awkwardly, "Aren't you supposed to be in Potions?"

Riley raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "You keeping track of my schedule?" When Fred looked embarrassed, Riley said with a smile, "Thought you were in Charms."

Fred raised his head with surprise, he gave a smile and said submissively, "Guess we're even, huh?"

Riley nodded and said, "Yeah, I guess we are." She shrugged and said, "Draco said something that rattled me, felt like spending the period with Snape and Umbridge probably wasn't the best way to keep my anger under control."

Fred smiled in amusement and said, "I guess I can see that." He frowned and asked, "What did he say to bother you so badly?"

Riley shrugged and said, "Doesn't matter." She frowned and admitted awkwardly, "Although, I think I may have left a lasting impression in the minds of everyone who was there."

"Why?" Fred asked in surprise.

"I told him to eat shit," Riley said, smiling in embarrassment at Fred.

Fred's eyes widened with pleasure and interest and he laughed. "Didn't see _that_ one coming," he admitted.

Riley smiled in embarrassment and said, "Yeah, well, he _really_ ticked me off."

"Apparently," Fred said quietly. He then frowned and asked seriously, "So what's going on with you and Malfoy these days, anyways? Seems like you're always together."

"Well, being in the same House and half of the same classes tends to do that to a person," Riley said with a smile. When she saw Fred lower his head, she said evenly, "If you're asking whether or not I'm dating him, the answer is no, Fred."

"Well, why not?" Fred asked sarcastically. "He's such a _charming_ guy, great family, great blood, great attitude toward the world, what could you possible _not_ want in him?"

Riley laughed aloud, forced to smile, and she said, "I'll admit he has his downfalls, but he's not as bad as you guys make him out to be." When she saw Fred look at her in disbelief, she rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, I guess he is to you guys. But the more I hang out with him, he's not that bad to the people in Slytherin, or the people in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. There's just something about Gryffindor that he hates."

"I'll tell you what it is," Fred said in a matter-of-fact tone. "His dad. Old mates with You-Know-Who, and he doesn't like Harry because of Harry's relationship with You-Know-Who."

Riley nodded and said, "Probably true. Wouldn't be surprised if it was."

Fred raised an eyebrow at Riley, but said nothing for a moment. Then he looked up and around and asked, "Remember the last time we were out here together?" Riley frowned, still looking at the ground, and said nothing. Fred continued to say, "It was the day you left Hogwarts for Silvergates, when you came to say good-bye."

"I remember," Riley said in a dry voice.

"Interesting how things have gone from there to here, huh?" Fred asked, looking over at Riley. Riley blinked, but said nothing, still unable to look up. She sensed Fred walking over, stop by her, and lean over to whisper in her ear, "I'm really glad you're back." He set a hand on her arm, then walked off, leaving her alone again.

Riley closed her eyes as she felt Fred's hand touch her arm and then leave it. She looked up at the sky and thought,_ So much for a quiet mind._

Riley didn't get back to the corridor until late that night. She'd missed all of her classes for the day, made an excuse later to Snape that she'd been in the girl's bathroom vomiting the entire time, even gone as far as to go get some vomiting stuff from Fred and George that convinced Madam Pomfrey into having Snape and her other teachers excuse her.

Riley was on her way to the Slytherin common room when Aria ran by her. "Aria, what's going on?" Riley asked, confused.

Aria slid to a stop and spun around to see Riley, raising an eyebrow. "Where have you been all day?" she asked, just as confused.

"Playing hookey," Riley explained with a dismissive shrug. "Tell me, what's going on."

"Harry, Hermione, Ron and I are about to talk to Snuffles," Aria said with a smile. "Well, _they_ are, really. I'm just butting in like usual..."

"Who?" Riley asked in confusion.

Harry looked up from his book that he was pretending to read while Fred and George cleared out, only to be surprised when he saw Riley enter the room with Aria. "Riley?" he asked in surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought you were sick."

"Not really," Riley said, shaking her head. "So what's this about contacting Sirius Black?"

Harry looked at Aria in alarm, and Aria gave him a look that said, "Do you want me to tell her about what you blabbed about?" Harry hesitated, and then said, "I'm about to contact him. Wait, won't you need to get back to Slytherin's common room?"

"Oh, that," Riley said, waving her hand dismissively. "They all think I'm at the hospital wing. I'll just explain that I had to get notes from Aria, and then I'll head back, that's if they miss me at all."

"One of these days..." Ron muttered, shaking his head.

Harry was about to go to the fire when Sirius's untidy dark head suddenly popped into the fire again. "Hi," he said, grinning.

"Hi," chorused the five kids.

Sirius looked at Riley with interest and asked curiously, "Now, who's this? Is this your friend Riley?"

"Yep, that's me," Riley said, waving as she knelt down near the fire. "Though it's kind of weird to think that they talked about me and didn't tell me."

"Oh, please," Sirius said, shaking his head. "I thought I recognized you from the newspapers last year, the pictures of you with Draco Malfoy and the other Champions. Well done, by the way, sorry you had to get messed up in that." Riley waved her hand dismissively, only to freeze when Sirius said, "You're the daughter of Helen and Stephen O'Malley, correct? The Black Ravens?"

Riley hesitated, and then said in a strained polite voice, "Yes, I am."

Harry froze, sensing the change in her attitude. She wasn't happy, and he realized with a start just what Aria had been talking about. He saw Aria's eyes flicker uncertainly as well.

Sirius nodded and said, "Yes, yes, good people, your parents. I had the privilege of knowing them, personally and by reputation."

Before Riley could reply, Harry asked, "You wanted to see me, Sirius?"

"Oh, yes," Sirius said, as though suddenly remembering why he'd contacted them. "How're things?"

"Not that good," said Harry, as Hermione pulled Crookshanks back to stop him from singeing his whiskers. "The Ministry's forced through another decree, which means we're not allowed to have Quidditch teams –"

"Or secret Defense Against the Dark Arts groups?" said Sirius.

There was a short pause.

"How did you know about that?" Harry demanded.

"You want to choose your meeting places more carefully," said Sirius, grinning still more broadly. "The Hog's Head, I ask you..."

"Well, it was better than the Three Broomsticks," said Hermione defensively. "That's always packed with people –"

"Which means you'd have been harder to overheard," said Sirius. "You've got a lot to learn, Hermione."

"Who overheard us?" Harry demanded.

"Mundungus, of course," said Sirius, and when they all looked puzzled he laughed. "He was the witch under the veil."

"That was Mundungus?" Harry said, stunned. "What was he doing in the Hog's Head?"

"What do you think he was doing?" said Sirius impatiently. "Keeping an eye on you, of course."

"I'm still being followed?" asked Harry angrily.

"Yeah, you are," Sirius answered with a nod. "and just as well, isn't it, if the first thing you're gong to do on your weekend off is organize an illegal defense group." But he looked neither angry nor worried; on the contrary, he was looking at Harry with distinct pride.

"Why was the Dung hiding from us?" asked Ron, sounding disappointed. "We'd've liked to've seen him."

"He was banned from the Hog's Head twenty years ago," said Sirius, "and that barman's got along memory. We lost Moody's spare Invisibility Cloak when Sturgis was arrested, so Dung's been dressing as a witch a lot lately... Anyway... First of all, Ron – I've sworn to pass on a message from your mother."

"Oh, yeah?" said Ron, sound apprehensive.

"She says on no account whatsoever are you to take place in an illegal secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group. She says you'll be expelled for sure and your future will be ruined. She says there will be plenty of time to learn how to defend yourself later and that you are too young to be worrying about that right now. She also" – Sirius's eyes turned to the other two – "advises Harry and Hermione not to proceed with the group, though she accepts that she has no authority over either of them and simply begs them to remember that she has their best interests at heart. She would have written all this to you, but if the owl had been intercepted you'd all have been in real trouble, and she can't say it for herself because she's on duty tonight."

"On duty, doing what?" said Ron quickly.

"Never you mind, just stuff for the Order," said Sirius with a nod. "So it's fallen to me to be the messenger and make sure you tell her I passed it all on, because I don't think she trusts me to."

There was another short pause in which Crookshanks, mewing, attempted to paw Sirius's head, and Ron fiddled with a hole in the hearthrug.

"So you want me to say I'm not going to take apart in the defense group?" he muttered finally.

"Me? Certainly not!" said Sirius, looking surprised. "I think it's an excellent idea!"

"You do?" said Harry, his heart lifting.

"Of course, I do!" Sirius scoffed. "D'you think your father and I would've lain down and taken orders from an old hag like Umbridge?"

"But – last term all you did was tell me to be careful and not take risks –"

"Last year all the evidence was that someone inside Hogwarts was trying to kill you, Harry!" said Sirius impatiently. "This year we know that there's someone outside Hogwarts who'd like to kill us all, so I think learning to defend yourselves properly is a very good idea!"

"And if we do get expelled?" Hermione asked, a quizzical look on her face.

"Hermione!" Aria exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hermione, this whole thing is your idea!" said Harry, staring at her.

"I know it was... I just wondered what Sirius thought," she said, shrugging.

"Well, better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue," said Sirius.

"He's got a point," Riley said, looking at Hermione with a blank expression. "I mean, I wouldn't recommend it, but look at me? And I've been expelled from two schools."

"Yep," Sirius chuckled. "Definitely Helen's daughter."

"Hear, hear," said Harry and Ron enthusiastically.

"So," Sirius began as he looked between each student, "How are you organizing this group? Where are you meeting?"

"Well, that's a bit of a problem now," Harry scowled. "Dunno where we're going to be able to go..."

"How about the Shrieking Shack?" suggested Sirius.

"Hey, that's an idea!" said Ron excitedly, but Hermione made a skeptical noise and all three of them looked at her, Riley and Aria shaking their heads as well.

"Well, Sirius, it's just that there were only a few of you meeting in the Shrieking Shack when you were at school," said Hermione, "and all of you could transform into animals and I suppose you could all have squeezed under a single Invisibility Cloak if you'd wanted to. But there are thirty of us and none of us is an Animagus –"

"What am I, chopped liver?" Aria asked, her hands on her hips. Riley looked just as annoyed.

"Wait, you're an Animagus, too?" Ron exclaimed, looking at Riley in disbelief.

Riley stared at Ron through amazed eyes and she said in disbelief, "You are _so_ slow, Ron, it's _almost_ funny."

Hermione continued to say, "Anyway, we wouldn't need so much as an Invisibility Cloak as an Invisibility Marquee –"

"Fair point," said Sirius, looking slightly crestfallen. "Well, I'm sure you'll come up with somewhere... There used to be a pretty roomy secret passageway behind that big mirror on the fourth floor, you might have enough space to practice jinxes in there –"

"Fred and George told me it's blocked," Harry said, shaking his head. "Caved in or something."

"Oh..." said Sirius, frowning. "Well, I'll have a think and get back to –" He broke off. His face was suddenly tense, alarmed. He turned sideways, apparently looking into the solid brick wall of the fireplace.

"Sirius?" said Harry anxiously.

But he had vanished. Harry gaped at the flames for a moment, then turned to look at the others. Riley had gotten to her feet already and was walking away, her shoulders tense.

"Where are you going?" Aria asked, confused as she watched Riley leave.

Riley stopped and looked back, right at Harry as she said in a dry voice, "Back to my tower. I'm not in the mood to stick around and talk. Let me know when the next meeting is." With that, she walked off.

Harry suddenly got to his feet and ran after Riley, ignoring the activity – or lack thereof – in the fireplace. "Riley!" he called out after Riley as she reached the exit, not quite out yet. Riley stopped in place, but said nothing. She didn't even face Harry. Harry stopped and said, "Have I done something wrong?"

"What all did you say to him, Harry?" Riley asked in a cold voice. When Harry said nothing, Riley faced him and gazed at him with a cold, blank expression. "What did you say to Sirius about me?"

Harry hesitated, and then answered, "We were just talking last time, and I happened to ask him if he knew anything about the Black Ravens. When he admitted that he did, the conversation sort of turned to you and your parents."

"_What?_" Riley exclaimed, her eyes suddenly burning in anger. Her voice was so strong that it actually caused Harry to flinch. He had never felt so afraid of her as he did now, staring into eyes that could have killed dozens with a single glance. "You asked him about my parents? _Why?_"

Harry stared at Riley through eyes stretched as wide as though would go. It took him a moment to find the courage to stammer, "I, I was just curious, and I..."

"Look, Harry," Riley said in a low, dark voice as she shook her head. "Just forget it." She turned back to the exit, and the painting began to open for her.

"Riley, I'm sorry!" Harry insisted, suddenly feeling terrible about what had just happened.

Riley faced him again and asked coldly, "Were you sorry when he was dishing out information about my family? Or were you sorry when you saw my reaction?" When Harry didn't respond, Riley said, "Forget it, Harry. It just proves that I was wrong when I trusted you with all of that information. Good night."

Harry felt as though he'd been punched in the gut, watching Riley leave. But he knew there was nothing he could say. Without meaning to, he'd violated her trust. Harry looked behind him and saw Aria walk out from behind the corner, her eyes narrowed at Harry, and suddenly he understood completely what she'd warned him about that night.


	15. Chapter 14: Dumbledore's Army

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Dumbledore's Army

* * *

"So, where we going?" Riley asked in confusion.

"I don't know, exactly," Fred admitted with a frown. "It's called the Room of Requirement. If we need to get there, we'll find it, I guess."

"And this place is supposed to have everything that we'll need for training?" Aria asked with interest.

"I guess," Fred said, shrugging.

"Look on the upside," George said with a smile. "We're guaranteed everything we need."

"Yeah, but Riley's going to need to continue keeping some of the stuff in her room," Fred said with a frown. "That way, if any of us needs to practice outside..."

"Yeah, no problem," Riley said, nodding in acceptance. "No one's going to find that stuff."

Because no one had known how they were going to set up a place or have the stuff they would need for practices, everything had been handed over to Riley. She'd shrunken the supplies and stuck them in a velvet bag inside of her trunk. As a Prefect, no one would dare check or nose through her stuff, and even if they did, no one would be able to return them to life-size unless they were extremely well-versed in transfigurations. If the Room of Requirement was everything that Fred and George were saying it was, then there was hope yet that Riley might not have to put herself out there for much longer.

Soon, the group stopped in an empty hallway, and Fred said quietly, "We need to meet the other members of the defense club."

A moment later, the bricks in the wall began to move, taking on an entirely new shape. They began to rotate, separating themselves and re-aligning themselves until they created a doorway. The four kids walked inside, and Riley smiled when she saw Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Dean, Parvati, Lavender and Neville. There were several kids around the room. Harry recognized Michael Corner, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Alicia, and several kids from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

"Harry," Riley said brightly.

Harry looked over nervously at Riley, frowning. Riley knew that he was thinking of their argument a few days ago, but she had no intention of bringing it up. What was done was done. Didn't need to be drug up.

The group moved over to one of the several comfortable couches that were placed around, George sitting near Aria and Fred standing over by Alicia, discussing Quidditch. Riley was sitting on the edge of the couch, looking up at Harry, who was talking to Hermione and occasionally glancing over at her. She could tell that he was uncomfortable, and frankly, she didn't blame him. In his position, she'd probably feel the same way.

At eight o'clock, everyone was there. Harry moved across to the door and turned the key protruding from the lock; it clicked in a satisfyingly loud way and everybody fell silent, looking at him. Hermione carefully marked her page of Jinxes for the Jinxed and set the book aside.

"Well," said Harry, slightly nervously. "This is the place we've found for practices, and you've – er – obviously found it okay –"

"It's fantastic!" said Cho, and several people murmured their agreement.

"It's bizarre," Fred said, frowning around at it. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember George?" George nodded, "But it was just a broom cupboard then..."

"Hey, Harry, what's this stuff?" asked Dean from the rear of the room, indicating the Sneakoscopes and the Foe-Glass.

"Dark Detectors," said Harry, stepping between the cushions to reach them. "Basically they all show when Dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much, they can be fooled..." He gazed for a moment into the cracked Foe-Glass; shadowy figures were moving around inside it, though none was recognizable. He turned his back on it. "Well, I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first and – er –"

Riley raised an eyebrow in surprise when she saw Hermione raise her hand, the same look everyone shot her.

"I think we ought to elect a leader," Hermione said as she looked around at the others.

"Harry's leader," Cho said at once, looking at Hermione as though she were mad.

"Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly," said Hermione, unperturbed. "It makes it formal and gives him authority. So – everyone who thinks Harry ought to be our leader?"

"Everybody put up their hands, even Zacharias Smith, though he did it very halfheartedly. He kept sending awkward glances over at Riley, who pretended not to notice. She guessed it was because he wasn't sure whether or not she was going to put a charm on him again. She had her wand in her hand, lazily on her lap, but ready for anything just the same.

"Er – right, thanks," said Harry, who could feel his face burning. "And – _what_, Hermione?"

"I also think we ought to have a name," she said brightly, her hand still in the air. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"

Riley had to admit that she wasn't totally wrong.

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" said Angelina hopefully. That got a smile out of Riley.

"Or the Ministry of Magic Are Morons Group?" suggested Fred.

Riley chuckled a little, as did a few others.

Hermione glared at Fred as she responded, "I was thinking more of a name that _didn't_ tell everyone what we were up to, so we can refer to it safely outside meetings."

"The Defense Association?" suggested Cho. "The D.A. for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about?"

"Yeah, the D.A.'s good," Ginny agreed with a nod. "Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?"

"All in favor of the D.A.?" said Hermione bossily, kneeling up on her cushion to count. "That's a majority – motion passed!" She pinned the piece of paper with all of their names on it on the wall and wrote DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY across the top in large letters.

"Right," said Harry, when she sat down again, "shall we get practicing then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is _Expelliarmus_, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful –"

"Oh, _please_," said Zacharias Smith, rolling his eyes and folding his arms. "I don't think _Expelliarmus_ is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"

"I've used it against him," said Harry quietly. "It saved my life last June."

Smith opened his mouth stupidly. The rest of the room was very quiet.

"But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave," Harry said with a nod to the side.

Smith did not move. Nor did anybody else.

"Okay," said Harry, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practice."

Riley stood up and smiled over at Harry. She nodded her approval, and then turned to face Fred, who was walking over toward her. "Partner?" She asked, holding a fist out.

Fred chuckled and hit fists up and down with her. "Oh, yeah."

Within minutes, the room was full of shouts of "_Expelliarmus!_" Wands flew in every directions, missed spells hit books on shelves and sent them flying into the air.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Fred yelled, pointing his wand at Riley. The wand went flying back in the air.

Riley smiled approvingly and walked over to retrieve her wand. "Good," she said, nodding. "Now, just for kicks, try it again, and this time, use that knowledge that barely seeped its way into your brain last year and do it silently."

Fred rolled his eyes and asked, "Are you going to silence me again if I say the word?"

Riley smiled and said, "Only one way to find out, isn't there?"

Fred sighed and concentrated hard on Riley. She strained her ears for any noise. She could practically see him trying to concentrate hard enough to not speak. She could almost see the words in his eyes as he gave a wave of his wand.

Nothing happened.

Fred rolled his eyes and Riley said, "It's okay, Fred. Try again."

Fred hesitated, and then tried it again. This time, the wand began to slowly rock back and forth. Riley and Fred both smiled at this.

All of a sudden, Riley heard, "I DID IT!" She turned her head and saw Neville cheering gleefully, Harry's wand having been knocked out of his hands. Riley couldn't help but smile as she watched in amusement. She'd never seen Neville look so happy. "I've never done it before – I DID IT!"

"Good one!" said Harry encouragingly. He looked around, and then said awkwardly, "Listen, Neville, can you take it in turns with Ron and Hermione for a couple of Minutes so I can walk around and see how the rest are doing?"

Harry began walking around the room. As it quieted down, Riley faced Fred again. This time, she said, "Watch me, Fred." She focused, then thrust her wand forward and thought forcefully, _Expelliarmus!_ Fred's wand went flying and hit Hannah Abbot over the back of the head. Riley jumped and smiled as she called out, "Sorry, Hannah!"

Riley glanced over at Fred, who'd looked embarrassed at first, only to erupt in laughter. Riley found herself laughing, along with half of the group.

"I guess you've got this down," Harry said with a smile, looking over at Riley and Fred with amusement. "Riley, I think you're good. Help Fred with his Silent Charm. Then you two can help others out."

So they went on, practicing for the next half hours. When Harry finally blew his whistle, everybody stopped shouting. It had only taken fifteen minutes for Fred to be able to silently disarm Riley three times. After that, they started going around and helping others out. Riley was impressed by Neville's improvement, and by the way that Hannah and Ernie were able to learn how to disarm one another. Riley was surprised that for as basic as everyone had thought the charm would be, it took many kids most of practice in order to get it down.

"Well, that was pretty good," Harry said with a nod, "But we're overrun, we'd better leave it here. Same time, same place next week?"

"Sooner!" said Dean Thomas eagerly and many people nodded in agreement.

Angelina, however, said quickly, "The Quidditch season's about to start, we need team practices, too!"

"Let's say Wednesday night, then," said Harry as he looked around, "And we can decide on additional meetings then... Come on, we'd better get going..."

Riley frowned as she spun her wand in her hand, thinking. Angelina was right. The season was about to start. That meant that more practices for Slytherin, and less time to do homework and the D.A. _Great, _she thought bitterly, rolling her eyes and walking away._ Just great._


	16. Chapter 15: The Lion and the Serpant

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: The Lion and the Serpent

* * *

Harry felt as though he was carrying some kind of talisman inside his chest over the following two weeks, a glowing secret that supported him through Umbridge's classes and even made it possible for him to smile blandly as he looked into her horrible bulging eyes. He and the D.A. were resisting her under her very nose, doing the very thing that she and the Ministry most feared, and whenever he was supposed to be reading Wilbert Slinkhard's book during her lessons he dwelled instead on satisfying memories of their most recent meetings, remembering how Neville had successfully disarmed Hermione, how Colin Creevy had mastered the Impendiment Jinx after three meetings' hard effort, how Parvati Patil had produced such a good Reductor Curse that she had reduced the table carrying all the Sneakscopes to dust.

He was finding it almost impossible to fix a regular night of the week for D.A. meetings, as they had to accommodate three separate Quidditch teams' practices, which were often rearranged depending on the weather conditions. Also, Harry had noticed that Riley slipped off into secret once, even twice a week, without telling anyone where she was going. In fact, she'd missed the second meeting because she'd disappeared. No one knew where she was going, and when asked by Aria and Harry, she said that she was "in the library", but Harry had the feeling that she wasn't telling the truth. Still, he didn't push the matter too hard. She was in more of an awkward position than any of them, being in Slytherin, the one House that Umbridge had her eyes set on most. Still, Harry had a feeling that it was probably better to keep the timing of their meetings unpredictable. If anyone was watching them, it would be hard to make out a pattern.

Hermione soon devised a very clever method of communicating the time and date of the next meeting to all the members in case they needed to change it at short notice, because it would look so suspicious if people from different Houses were seen crossing the Great Hall to talk to each other too often. She gave each of the members of the D.A. a fake Galleon (Ron became very excited when he saw the basket at first, convinced that she was actually giving out gold).

"You see the numerals around the edge of the coins?" Hermione said, holding one up for examination at the end of their fourth meeting. The coin gleamed fat and yellow in the light from the torches. "On real Galleons that's just a serial number referring to the goblin who cast the coin. On these fake coins, though, the numbers will change to reflect the time and date of the next meeting. The coins will grow hot when the date changes, so if you're carrying them in a pocket you'll be able to feel them. We take one each, and when Harry sets the date of the next meeting he'll change the numbers on his coin, and because I've put a Protean Charm on them, they'll all change to mimic his."

A blank silence greeted Hermione's words. She looked around at all the faces upturned to her, rather disconcerted.

"Well – I thought it was a good idea," she said uncertainly, "I mean, even if Umbridge asked us to turn out our pockets, there's nothing fishy about carrying a Galleon, is there? But... well, if you don't want to use them..."

"You can do a Protean Charm?" said Terry Boot.

"Yes," said Hermione slowly.

"But that's... that's N.E.W.T. standard, that is," he said weakly.

"Oh," said Hermione, trying to look modest. "Oh... well... yes, I suppose it is..." She pointed at Aria and Riley all of a sudden, as though trying to get the attention in the room off of herself. "Riley can do conjuring and vanishing, and she can make her own spells, _and_ do a Patronus like Harry... and _Aria's_ the best student in the entire school at Potions. Snape said so himself, well, practically."

Everyone looked over at the two girls, and Riley narrowed her eyes at Hermione. "Thanks, Hermione," she said sarcastically. Hermione blushed, still looking embarrassed.

"You've made up your own spells?" Terry asked in disbelief, sounding suspicious. "And you can conjure and vanish?"

"You sound surprised, Terry," Hannah said, looking from Terry to Riley. "Remember the First Task last year? That was some cool magic." There were several murmurs of agreement.

"How come you lot aren't in Ravenclaw?" Terry demanded, looking between the three girls. "With brains like yours..."

"Well, the Sorting Hat _did_ seriously consider putting me in Ravenclaw during my Sorting," said Hermione brightly, "but it decided on Gryffindor in the end."

"And you?" Terry asked, looking at Riley.

Riley frowned, and admitted, "The Sorting Hat debated between putting me in in all four Houses; saw that I would be good in any of them, but in the end it just chose Slytherin. Can't explain it."

"And they debated between Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff for me," Aria admitted shyly. "Guess I wouldn't make a good Slytherin." There were several chuckles of consent, and Aria smiled as she said, "In the end, the Hat asked me who I wanted, and since I didn't know anyone elsewhere, I chose Gryffindor."

"So, does that mean we're using the Galleons?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.

There was a murmur of assent and everybody moved forward to collect one from the basket.

Harry looked sideways at Hermione. "You know what these remind me of?"

"No, what's that?"

"The Death Eaters' scars. Voldemort touches one of them, and all their scars burn, and they know they've got to join him."

"Well... yes," said Hermione quietly, "That _is_ where I got the idea... but you'll notice I decided to engrave the date on bits of metal rather than on our members' skin..."

"Yeah... I prefer your way," said Harry, grinning as he slipped his Galleon into his pocket. "I suppose the only danger with these is that we might accidentally _spend_ them."

"Fat chance," Ron said, who was examining his own fake Galleon with a slightly mournful air. "I haven't got any real Galleons to confuse it with."

As the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, drew nearer, their D.A. meetings were put on hold because Angelina insisted on almost daily practices. Not that it mattered, Harry almost never saw Riley anymore – she was always "studying" – and a lot of the members were practicing for their own matches that were coming up soon. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were taking a lively interest in the outcome, for they, of course, would be playing both teams over the coming year; and the Heads of House of the competing teams, though they attempted to disguise it under a decent pretense of sportsmanship, were determined to see to their sides victory. Harry realized how much Professor McGonagall cared about beating Slytherin when she abstained from giving them homework in the week leading up to the match.

"I think you've got enough to be getting on with at the moment," she said loftily. Nobody could quite believe their ears until she looked directly at Harry and Ron and said grimly, "I've become accustomed to seeing the Quidditch Cup in my study, boys, and I' really don't want to have to hand it over to Professor Snape, so use the extra time to practice, won't you?"

Snape was no less obviously partisan: He had booked the Quidditch pitch for Slytherin practice so often that the Gryffindors had difficulty getting on it to play. He was also turning a deaf ear to the many reports of Slytherin attempts to hex Gryffindor players in the corridors. When Alicia Spinnet turned up in the hospital wing with her eyebrows growing so thick and fast that they obscured her vision and obstructed her mouth, Snape insisted that she must have attempted a Hair-Thickening Charm on herself and refused to listen to the fourteen eyewitnesses who insisted that they had seen the Slytherin Keeper, Miles Bletchley, hit her from behind with a jinx while she worked in the library.

Harry knew that Riley would have at least given Miles a detention, but she was always missing, nowhere to be found. The day before the match, Harry cornered Riley in the hallway during their free period, not allowing her to escape until he got some answers.

"You can't use homework as an excuse anymore," Harry said, his arms folded. "We haven't had any at all this week, and I've asked Fred and George, and they've said that the seventh-years don't have any either. Where have you been?"

Riley shifted uncomfortably and said awkwardly, "I, um..." She looked down at her watch and said, "Oh crap! I've got to go, Harry!"

With that she took off, leaving Harry feeling even more annoyed. He was forced to walk away without any answers, and feeling more confused than ever.

Riley felt her stomach roll as she walked out onto the Quidditch field the next morning. She held her broom in her hand and looked it over. It had a sleek black handle with a blue end. Engraved into either side of the handle, in silver cursive letters was, "Airwalker 2000". It was a broom she had spent three years working on and had finished it right before the Quidditch tryouts for Slytherin, not that she'd been able to attend.

Riley looked down at her watch. She had twenty minutes until the game began. She felt her stomach roll over. She hadn't told her friends about her involvement with the Quidditch team, especially not Fred. She knew that this might be the kind of thing that would question their friendship, even ruin it, because it would explain why she had been gone for everything over the past several weeks, why she'd missed a D.A. meeting. She couldn't imagine how she'd explain that she'd missed a D.A. meeting for Quidditch practice, because it would make it seem that she was ashamed of her friends, and that she didn't trust them. But they were going to find out soon enough, weren't they?

How could she face off against her friends in Gryffindor? Harry, Ron, Fred and George were four of her closest friends, and made up more than half of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. As it turned out, Riley had more friends on the Gryffindor Quidditch team than in the entire Slytherin House. Draco was very friendly toward her, but his language and his dislike for Gryffindors kept a definite wall between them, one that opposed her attraction to him and made it hard for her to like him. Some of the first years took a liking to her because she was so good at magic, and she taught them some basics, but her real friends were in Gryffindor, and sometimes she wondered if she'd made the right decision in which House she wanted.

"Hey, Riley."

Riley turned around and saw Draco walking over toward her, his hands in the pockets of his pants. There was a gentle look in his eyes. "You thinking about the game today?" he asked.

Riley nodded. "My first here at Hogwarts," she said with a smile.

"Don't be nervous," Draco said, walking up beside Riley, standing rather close to her. He ran his hand up her bare left arm. "With you on our team, there's no way we'll lose today."

Riley smiled. "Yeah, right." She frowned. "It's weird. I've played tons of games before. I played on the Slytherin team during summer, back at Silvergates." Riley shrugged. "I was playing Seeker at the time." She smiled at Draco. "Couldn't exactly do that here, not when your father buys the team new brooms and uniforms every year."

Draco shrugged. "But I'm sure you make a better Beater than Seeker."

Riley shrugged again. "Maybe. Anyway, I'll do my best today."

Draco smiled at her, a smile that made Riley a little uncomfortable. She had seen him smile like that before, and each time, it made her feel a little more uncomfortable. It didn't have any malice or gloating in it. It was just a genuine smile.

"I believe you," Draco said. He hesitated, and then frowned as he asked, "You tell the Gryffindors that you're on the team?"

Riley shook her head and said, "No, not yet."

Draco nodded and said, "Well, I guess they're in for a surprise." He looked at his watch and tightened his grip on her arm. "Come on," he said, pulling his hand away and walking toward the Slytherin side of the field. "It's time to go suit up for Quidditch. We need to meet in five minutes."

Riley saw people begin to pile into the stands and realized that Draco was right. She walked over to the girls' locker room for changing into Quidditch uniforms. She set her broom down on a bench inside and walked over to a pile of clothes that waited for her, the bat for Beaters sitting next to the pile. Montague had apparently come in earlier and set her uniform out of her.

Riley picked up the clearly new robe with her name printed on the back of it in black. She ran her fingers of it and let out a deep sigh.

After Riley had changed into the shirt, pants, robes and boots for flying, she picked up her broom and walked out to the hallway, where the boys were beginning to come from their locker room. Riley felt a lump in her throat when she saw the silver badges with "Weasley Is Our King" printed on them on the boys' chests. Riley filed in with Goyle behind Montague, Draco behind her, the group forming a 'V'. Riley held the handle of her broom in her right hand and the bat in her left. She closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Riley felt a hand touch her back. She turned her head around and saw Draco smiling comfortingly at her, that same genuine smile from earlier.

"All right," Montague said. "Let's go."

The team walked out onto the field. As they walked into the sunlight, there was a loud roar of applause from the Slytherin side of the stadium.

The team stopped by Madame Hooch in the center of the field. Draco walked up beside her, standing rather close. Riley felt her breathing hitch as she saw the Gryffindor team emerge from the shadowy hallway on the other side of the field. She saw their eyes grow wide as they saw her standing with the Slytherins. She felt a hint of surprise and guilt, though she couldn't explain to herself why, when she saw Fred glance from her to Draco over and over again, his gaze growing hard.

"What kind of broom does she have?" Riley heard Ron ask as he stared at her broom in awe, totally missing the point of the team's shock.

"All right," Madame Hooch said. "Captains, shake hands."

Montague stepped forward and shook hands with Angelina. Then they stepped back and everyone climbed onto their brooms. Riley kicked off of the ground and shot up high in the air, flying to Montague's left with Draco on her left. Fred flew directly across from her, staring her in the eye.

Riley suddenly heard the whistle blow and saw a Bludger shoot up from the ground. Riley suddenly began flying up toward the Bludger, the bat in her right hand, ignoring the Quaffle completely. She narrowed her eyes as she grew closer to it. But before she could reach it, Goyle shot in front of her on his broom, whacking the Bludger with his bat and sending it flying in the opposite direction. Riley changed direction of her broom just in time to see the Bludger nailed Angelina arm, knocking the Quaffle in her hands away from her.

Riley saw the Bludger begin to head toward Montague, who had just caught the Quaffle. She narrowed her eyes and shot off down toward Montague and an extremely fast speed. She pulled her right hand back, the bat ready, and when she got close enough to the Bludger, which was about a foot away from Montague, Riley whacked the daylights out of the Bludger, sending it across the field, barely missing Ron's head.

Riley pulled up and flew upside down in a circle before turning around and heading off to find out where the game was. She head Lee say from the commentary booth, "Did you see Riley fly toward that Bludger? She's flying lightning fast! I've been told that the broom she rides is one she created herself, and that if you ask her, you can buy one for only–"

"JORDAN! THIS IS A QUIDDITCH MATCH, NOT A BROOM SALE COMMERCIAL!"

"Sorry, Professor McGonagall," Lee apologized. "And Alicia passes back to Angelina!"

"Nice save, Riley," a voice said darkly from behind Riley. Riley turned her head to see Fred pull up beside her. The look in his eyes made Riley feel worse than she ever had, like she was falling into a pit of darkness. There was anger, disappointment and hurt in his eyes. He scoffed. "And here I thought you were my friend."

"I am!" Riley exclaimed, hurt by Fred's words.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Fred asked angrily.

"Cause I didn't want you to react like this," Riley answered.

Fred frowned. "Well, mission accomplished."

Before Riley could say anything, Fred took off. Riley closed her eyes, feeling a pit grow in her stomach.

"Riley! Watch out!"

Draco's voice woke Riley up from her thoughts. She turned her head and saw the Bludger heading toward her. Riley took off immediately and then spun around, whacking the daylights out of the Bludger with her bat.

Riley saw the second Bludger fly toward her and saw Harry flying across the field. But more than that, she also saw the Quaffle being thrown across the field by Angelina. Draco wasn't far away, and he was staring at her. "Hit him!" he yelled, clearly seeing the opportunity to hit Harry as well. "Knock Potter off his bloody broom!"

Riley made a decision in a split second and chased after the Bludger. She hit it hard with her bat and sent it flying. But it didn't fly toward Harry. It hit the Quaffle and sent it flying back toward the Slytherin poles, flying through one of them and getting them a point.

"And Riley makes a surprising goal for her team," Lee said.

Draco flew up in front of Riley, looking furious. "I told you to _hit Potter_," he barked.

Riley narrowed her eyes. "You do your job, Draco," she snapped forcefully. "And let me do mine. We might actually win, then." With that, she took off again, heading across the field.

Riley zoomed across the field as fast as she could, seeing point after point made. She couldn't even hear what Jordan was yelling over the speaker. She couldn't hear the Slytherins jaunting and making fun of Ron. She wasn't paying attention to Fred anymore, or Draco. Her mind was completely on the Bludger, which she saw racing across the field.

Riley suddenly felt someone sweep right below her. She looked and saw Draco and Harry flying side-by-side, chasing the Snitch across the field. She pulled her broom up to a halt, hovering in the air and watching them. She watched anxiously as the two drew closer, Harry closer to the Snitch. His hands suddenly clamped over them, and Riley felt discouraged and relieved at the same time. It was over.

All of a sudden, Riley heard something whizzing toward her. She turned her head and saw a Bludger coming straight for Harry and Draco. She instinctively raced upward, chasing the Bludger until she was right in front of it, giving her time to beat the hell out of it with her bat and send it flying back. Goyle, up in the air, looked furious.

Riley turned her head and saw Angelina rushing over to Harry's side, talking to him. She narrowed her eyes when she saw Draco begin to talk meanly at the Harry, following him and trying to provoke him.

"Saved Weasley's neck, haven't you?" he said to Harry. "I've never seen a worse Keeper... But then he was _born in a bin_... Did you like my lyrics, Potter?"

Harry did not answer, and neither did Riley. She only said warningly, "_Draco._"

He ignored her and said, "We wanted to write another couple of verses! But we couldn't find rhymes for fat and ugly – we wanted to sing about his mother, see–"

"Talk about sour grapes," said Angelina, casting Malfoy a disgusted look.

"–And we couldn't fit in _useless loser_ either – for his father, you know –"

Riley's eyes widened in panic when she saw that Fred and George had realized what Draco was talking about. They were on the ground, talking happily to Harry, when they stiffened, looking at Draco. Still, he didn't stop, even when Riley yelled out warningly to him.

"– but you like the Weasleys, don't you, Potter?" said Draco, sneering. "Spend the holidays there and everything, don't you? Can't see how you stand the stink, but I suppose when you've been dragged up by Muggles even the Weasleys' hovel smells okay–"

Harry grabbed hold of George; meanwhile, it was taking the combined efforts of Angelina, Alicia and Katie to stop Fred.

"Draco, stop it!" Riley yelled angrily, still hovering above and looking around for the Bludger. The next comment sent Riley's blood cold with fury.

"Or perhaps, you can remember what _your_ mother's house stank like, Potter, and Weasley's pigsty reminds you of it."

Harry was not aware of releasing George, all he knew was that a second later both of them were sprinting at Draco. He had completely forgotten the fact that all the teachers were watching: all he wanted to do was cause Draco as much pain as possible. With no time to draw his wand, he merely drew back the fist clutching the snitch and sank it into Draco's stomach –

"Harry! HARRY GEORGE! NO!"

Riley and the others screamed from the air, Draco yelling. She looked around and saw the others screaming, and the Slytherins looking furious. She then zoomed her broom downward, wanting to get there before...

"Get off of me!" Draco yelled, kicking both boys off of him.

A moment later, Fred ran up – somehow having escaped restraint – and he shoved Draco back onto the ground, "I'm gonna make you pay for saying that!"

Draco suddenly kicked Fred to the stomach and scrambled to his feet, looking hungry to face Fred. Fred walked right up to him, but didn't hit him like his brother. "What?" Draco asked, smirking at Fred. "Afraid to punch me and look bad in front of Riley? Afraid she might not want you, then?"

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Fred snapped, his eyes blazing, but he refused to do what he really wanted to, and that was pummel every inch of him.

Draco walked right into Fred's face, their faces mere inches apart, but Draco showing no signs of fear or intimidation as he looked right into Fred's eyes, his eyes gleaming and triumphant, as well as smug. When Draco spoke, he spoke in a low, quiet sneer that made Fred's blood boil. "She didn't tell you about being on the team, did she?" he asked, and he saw Fred's eyes blaze. "Didn't tell you that she's spent every night for the past two weeks with me, most of it alone." He then said in a hiss, "It must _kill_ you to know that the girl you're in love with chose _me_, that you'll never be with her because you're nowhere near good enough for her; that you're _inferior_ to me, _you filthy blood traitor_."

Suddenly filled anger beyond comparison, Fred shoved Draco in the chest as hard as possible, sending him back several feet, only for Draco to regain his steps as Fred walked forward, his eyes blazing and his words filled with spite as he spoke. "Try saying that to me again, Malfoy!"

Riley, who had been running over to stop Harry, Fred and George, ran in between the two and held a hand out in either direction, saying aloud, "Hold it, you two! Stop!" She looked at Fred through confused eyes and asked firmly, "What happened?"

"Keep your _boyfriend_ away from me, or so help me, I'll kill him," Fred said, stepping forward another step as Draco stepped back several, watching through narrowed eyes.

"Fred, stop this," Riley said, walking right up to Fred. "If you don't calm down and walk away, you're going to find yourself with a semester's worth of detentions."

Fred glared at Riley through narrowed eyes and said spitefully, "You're pulling rank on me now, is that it?"

Riley narrowed her eyes up at friend and said firmly, "_I'm_ not, but _he_ will, and if you don't back off, he'll have reason to."

"She's right," Draco said, his eyes narrowed even more.

"I don't care," Fred said, ignoring Draco. "I'll kill him; _so help me, I will_. Did you hear what he said about my parents? About Harry's family?"

"Yes, and we'll deal with it, but killing him isn't going to get it done," Riley said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"You wanna bet?" Fred snapped. "Now get away from me!"

Riley looked at Fred in disbelief, no longer calm or unbiased anymore. "What is your problem, Fred?" she demanded.

Fred held his right hand up in indication and said firmly, getting right into Riley's face, "I've got a list up to here right now, Riley, but at the top of the list is you and your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend," Riley said in a low voice.

"Don't lie to me, Riley," Fred said, his eyes narrowed as he looked down at her. "I'm sick of it, and I don't want to hear it anymore."

"I haven't lied to you," Riley said firmly. "I've told you more than _anyone_ else."

"Yet you couldn't tell me about him, or what he's done," Fred said, pointing at Draco. Riley's eyes widened in alarm, and Fred said, "Yeah, I know, all right? I'm not blind, Riley, or deaf. I've seen this coming for a long time, but I'm done standing by and watching. So go back to Slytherin and be best friends with your Muggle-hating assho-"

"Don't you _dare_ disrespect my House!" Riley snapped, suddenly her eyes blazing with rage as she faced off against Fred. "You're just mad because I didn't tell you about this Quidditch thing."

"Riley," Fred said in a low, dark voice, "You have _no idea_ what all I'm feeling right now." He started to step away, but Riley ran to stand in front of him, her eyes blazing.

"Oh, no, you don't! You don't just start something like this and walk away!" she said bitterly.

"Get out of my way," Fred said firmly, no longer interested in talking.

"No," Riley insisting.

"Get out of my way!" Fred said, pushing Riley in the shoulders.

Riley's eyes narrowed with outrage and she shoved back hard against Fred's chest, knocking him back several feet, harder than he expected. "What _the hell_ is your problem, Fred?" But before Riley could even finish, Fred instinctively struck out and punched her in the face with his right, clenched fist, knocking her head to the side.

There were gasps from all over, everyone having stopped to watch in shock, but no one really hearing what was going on, except for Aria, whose cat ears were attuned to the conversation. She leapt to her feet, along with Hermione and Ginny, and her eyes widened in horror as she yelled out in panic, "_Riley!_"

Even Draco, George and the Quidditch players gasped. Harry's eyes shot wide open in horror, but he stayed floating in the air. George yelled out, "_Fred!_" He didn't even seem angry anymore, nor did Harry. Seeing Fred hit Riley had opened their eyes up and quickly gotten rid of the anger they felt, only to be replaced by panic and horror.

Fred's eyes shot wide open in alarm, as though he hadn't realized what he'd done until just now. He watched as Riley reached up with a hand to touch her face, still not looking back at him. "Riley, I–" he began to stammer.

"Go to hell," Riley muttered, her head still turned away, though she hadn't moved more than setting a foot back to gain her balance.

"What?" Fred asked, his eyes narrowed from not hearing her correctly.

Riley raised her head, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she looked at Fred. Blood drained from her mouth, a big gash on her lip that was covered in blood, her blood on his knuckles. Her eyes were filled with an undeniable dislike, contempt and rage, but there was also hurt and disbelief. She looked Fred in the eyes, and he flinched, narrowing his own. He'd never seen such a recipe for hatred before in anyone's eyes.

"_Go to hell!_" Riley muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Fred to hear. She turned her head and spit out a mouthful of blood on the ground, then looked back at Fred before storming past him, right off the field without even bothering to get her broom.

"No!" Aria wailed. _This isn't how it's supposed to be!_

Fred hesitated, then turned around and saw everyone staring at him in disbelief. He looked up and saw all of the Gryffindors, even Ron, shaking their head in disbelief at him. He knew he'd done the wrong thing, but he knew that it was exactly what he'd wanted to do to the person who touched him next. He'd wanted to hurt Malfoy, but Riley...

Fred heard Malfoy chuckle, and he looked up to see Malfoy shaking his head in disbelief. "If you've ever done anything to damage your chances, you just delivered the fatal blow. I couldn't have planned it better, myself." With that, he turned and ran off after Riley.

Fred looked back at his friends and saw them with serious expressions on their faces, all of them looking at him with disapproval.

Draco ran into the girls' locker room to find Riley hovering over a sink, spitting out blood into it. She coughed it up, sounding similar to a cat drowning in a hairball, only to spit it up. She leaned over to drink water from her hands, only to spit it out into the sink, the water now red with blood.

"Riley," Draco said worriedly from where he stood.

"Get out, Draco," Riley muttered, gripping the sides of the sink with her hands. She was hunched over it, as though afraid she was going to throw up again.

"Nope," Draco said as he walked over slowly. "Can't do that. I, I'm sorry that you got caught up in that."

"Are you?" Riley asked abruptly, surprising Draco. She said in a dry tone, "Isn't this what you wanted, what you've wanted all year? Me and Fred apart?"

"No," Draco said as he walked up behind Riley, and set a hand on her mid-back. He could feel the muscles in her back tense up. He hesitated, and then said smoothly, "I wanted _you_; it had nothing to do with Weasley."

Riley hesitated, then turned around and grabbed onto Draco by the neck, crushing her lips against his. His eyes widened in surprise, but he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close, tightly, as he kissed her back, not wanting to lose this moment. It was what he'd wanted for the past year. He knew it was real, but he didn't care. He could feel it, not just dream it. It was real enough, for now.

* * *

A/N: Snoball? Snoooball? You awake there? You have a heart attack yet? Lol. ^^ I'm sure most people probably hate me for this chapter, but just keep reading. I find it rather funny, and I would love to hear Snoball's gasping and yelling, but unfortunately I can't. Anyway, hope it kept your interest. Keep reading and please, let me know what you all think.


	17. Chapter 16: The Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Sixteen: The Aftermath

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"Banned," said Angelina in a hollow voice, late that evening in the common room. "_Banned_. No Seeker and no Beaters... What on earth are we going to do?"

It did not feel as though they had won the match at all. Everywhere Harry looked there were disconsolate and angry faces; the team themselves were slumped around the fire, all apart from Ron, who had not been seen since the end of the match.

"It's just so unfair," said Alicia numbly. "I mean, what about Goyle and that Bludger he hit after the whistle had been blown, even though Riley stopped it? Has she banned _him?_"

"No," said Ginny miserably; she and Hermione were sitting on either side of Harry, Aria sitting near George and trying to calm him down. "He just got lines, I heard Montague laughing about it after dinner."

"What about Riley for shoving Fred?" Katie asked. "Did _she_ get banned?"

"Nope," Ginny sighed. "Lines." When everyone looked at her in surprise, she explained, "Snape and Umbridge feel that she 'was protecting herself and teammate'." She shook her head and said, "Montague _really_ had a field-day about that one, believe me."

"I just don't believe this," Alicia said furiously, pummeling her knee with her fist. She glared at Fred and demanded, "What did Malfoy say to get you so angry, Fred? You wouldn't have been banned if you hadn't gone off and shoved him and hit Riley!"

Fred, who was leaning back against the wall near the fireplace, glared at Alicia and said, "That's my business."

"_Not anymore!_" Angelina snapped, catching everyone's attention. "We're out three players because _you three_ couldn't hold your tempers." She sighed and slowly got to her feet after saying, "I'm going to bed. Maybe this will all turn out to have been a bad dream... Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and find we haven't played yet..." She was soon followed by Alicia and Katie.

Fred and George sloped off to bed some time later, glowering at everyone they passed. Aria looked hurt when George waved her off as he walked off, not even wanting to talk to her. Not much later, Ginny walked off, too, leaving Harry, Hermione and Aria alone.

"Have you seen Ron?" Hermione asked in a low voice.

Harry shook his head.

"I think he's avoiding us," said Hermione. "Where do you think he –"

But at that precise moment, there was a creaking sound behind them as the Fat Lady swung forward and Ron came clambering through the portrait hole. He was very pale indeed and there was snow in his hair. When he saw Harry and Hermione he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Where have you been?" said Hermione anxiously, springing up.

"Walking," Ron mumbled. He was still wearing his Quidditch things.

"You look frozen," said Hermione. "Come and sit down!"

Ron walked to the fireside and sank into the chair farthest form Harry's, not looking at him. The stolen Snitch zoomed over their heads.

"I'm sorry," Ron mumbled.

"What for?"

"For thinking I can play Quidditch. I'm going to resign first thing tomorrow."

"Ron, don't," Aria said, shaking her head as she looked at Ron in exhaustion. "It wouldn't do any good."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, looking at Aria in confusion.

Harry sighed and said testily, "If you resign, there'll only be three players left on the team." When Ron looked puzzled, he said, "I've been given a lifetime ban. So have Fred and George."

"_What?_" Ron yelped.

Hermione told him the full story; Harry could not bear to tell it again, and Aria looked so worn out and confused that she didn't speak a word during all of it. When Hermione had finished, Ron looked more anguished than ever.

"Fred hit Riley?" Ron exclaimed in disbelief. "I don't believe it."

"Oh, _believe_ it," Aria said, rubbing her forehead. "Right before she told him to go to hell and marched off of the field." When the others looked at her in disbelief, she sighed and said in a moan, "Don't ask how I know, I just do."

"This is all my fault –" Ron moaned.

"You didn't _make_ me punch Malfoy," said Harry angrily.

"– if I wasn't so lousy at Quidditch –"

"– it's got nothing to do with that –"

"– it was that song that wound me up –"

"– it would've wound anyone up –"

Hermione got up and walked to the window, away from the argument, watching the snow swirling down against the pane. Aria was rubbing her temples, when she grew sick of the arguing.

"_BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP!_"

The boys looked at her in surprise, Hermione not reacting at all, and Aria looked at them through narrowed eyes and said, "Today was horrible; get over it. You guys are so concerned about Quidditch that you've completely forgotten that Riley and Fred could very well have just ended their friendship."

Harry and Ron both looked startled, and then looked at one another as they thought about it.

"She's right, boys," Hermione said in a sigh. "Do you really think that those two are going to be able to move past this? First with Riley hiding that she is on the Slytherin Quidditch team, hiding that she's been spending the last two weeks and missing the D.A. meeting for practice, and then _this?_" She looked over at them, folding her arms and said, "You two are so narrow-minded, it's not funny."

"I didn't think–" Harry began.

"_Exactly_!" Aria snapped. With the boys staring at her in surprise and some fear, not used to seeing Aria so bossy, loud and commanding, Aria let out a sigh and got to her feet. "I'm going to bed," she muttered. "See you guys in the morning." With that, she stormed off to the girl's dormitory.

Once Aria was gone, silence hung in the air. Ron said nothing but sat gazing miserably at the damp he of his robes. After a while he said in a dull voice, "This is the worst I've ever felt in my life."

"Join the club," said Harry bitterly.

Hermione had been right, on more than one level. Riley had kept secrets from all of them. When had she joined the team? Why would she miss a D.A. meeting and not tell them? He suddenly understood why she'd been so sketchy the day before, and why she'd been so evasive over the past few weeks. She'd been leaving to go practice with the Slytherin Quidditch team, who had taken up almost all of the practice times. He realized now why she'd been disappearing more and more often, why no one could find her. He had no reason to go out on the field without it being his own practice, so he'd never seen her out there. How could she have made it to try-outs when she'd been in detention with him? Was it so hard to talk to him nowadays that she couldn't even tell him that she was on the team? The thought made Harry feel sick.


	18. Chapter 17: The Talk

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Seventeen: The Talk

* * *

The next several days went by in a blur, a noisy blur. Riley had spent an hour that first night in her dorm bathroom, throwing up blood. She couldn't explain what had caused it, but ended up going to Madam Pomfrey and staying in the medical wing, resting. She'd actually found it to be the most peaceful place she could find, especially considering how much tension had grown in the Slytherin dorm overnight.

Thanks to her wolf hearing – which she'd usually regarded as a gift, but now found to be nauseating and a curse – Riley had heard countless numbers of people going down the corridors and talking about the Quidditch match. The medical wing was the one place where everything seemed to be quieted out. That was, until kids would come in complaining of upset stomachs or some such nonsense, see Riley, and start gossiping to others in the room. Riley eventually turned on her back and faced away, curling up in a fetal position and covered her ears, trying to block it all out. By focusing so hard, she'd ended up with a migraine and falling asleep once Madam Pomfrey relaxed her head.

The Gryffindors were saddened by the new events, and conflicted about how to treat Riley; the Slytherins were thrilled, because they viewed the argument as a sign that Riley was finally siding with them, and the rest of the school was confused, especially the members of the D.A. In fact, the only people that Riley talked to at all were Ginny and Aria, and even that was kept to a minimum. Ginny came in later that afternoon to give Riley her homework, which only made Riley feel even more nauseous, and she was forced to spend her night in the dormitory, doing homework while eating some food that she'd swiped from the kitchen on the way back to the Slytherin common room.

Riley didn't talk to anyone other Ginny and Aria, and even then she stuck to as few words as possible. Even when they said nothing, Riley knew that the incident with Fred on the Quidditch field was on their minds whenever they were around Riley, and probably when they weren't. She could see it in their eyes, the way that they awkwardly glanced around and tried to force themselves to talk normally. She wanted to scream in annoyance and agony, but she knew that it would only make matters worse.

On top of it all, Riley hadn't said anything to Draco about making out with him for over fifteen minutes that day. They'd only stopped because several people had been storming down the outside hallway – probably the Gryffindors in anger at losing three of their players – and Riley was snapped back to reality. She'd run off, not saying another word to Draco, and still hadn't spoken to him three days later. Even during class, she said nothing to him, just did all of his work for him and got both of them full marks. What was strange, though, was that he didn't say anything about what had happened that day. He acted completely normal around her, as though nothing had happened. This made her feel as though she was going to go crazy, not used to not understanding what was going on.

Finally, Riley settled on the idea that she had to know what was going on. She followed the other Slytherins into the common room after dinner one night, purposely hanging to the back. While the others were heading up to their dorms, Riley grabbed onto Draco's arm and said, "Can you stay with me for a minute?"

Draco looked at Riley in surprise, and then looked back at the other Slytherins, all of whom were smiling teasingly, as though thinking it was funny. He nodded to the group and said, "Go on; I'll be up in a bit."

"Sure, Draco," Blaise chuckled, and then ran up the stairs with the others, leaving them behind.

Once they were alone, Draco turned and faced Riley, his hands in his pockets as he looked at her. "What's up?" he asked casually.

"Draco," Riley said awkwardly as she walked over to sit down in one of the common room chairs. She ran her hands through her hair before looking up at him. "We're not dating. You know that, right?"

Draco nodded and said casually, "Yeah, I know."

"And that kiss," she said, even more awkwardly, "It wasn't…"

"Real?" Draco guessed, surprising Riley. He nodded and once again said casually, "I know that, Riley. You were overwhelmed by the Weasley thing, and latched onto the first thing you could: me and my lips."

"Yeah," Riley said, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not," Draco said, surprising Riley again. He shrugged and said, "It wasn't real for you, but I was really in it." Riley stared at Draco in astonishment, and he said with a smile, "I like you Riley, a lot, and I don't deny it. I never have, and I don't regret the kiss."

"All right," Riley said, blinking calmly. "I just don't want you to think that–"

"That you like me?" Draco asked. When Riley said nothing, just looked down at her lap, he said, "That's just it, Riley, I think you do, that opinion has nothing to do with the kiss. I think that you've had to choose, and he made that choice for you, so it's confusing, but I'm willing to wait until you get over Weasley. Then, maybe, we can try that kiss again, for real."

Riley raised an eyebrow at Draco and asked, "Why are you doing this, Draco?"

Draco raised an eyebrow and said, "Being nice to you? Guess it's one of my few faults, because you're the only one I'm nice to."

Riley blinked several times as she looked up at him, saying nothing. It was almost as though she was trying to read him and make her mind up about him, but her expression didn't change.

Draco walked over and sat down beside Riley. "How about this? There's a chance for us all to go to Hogsmeade this next weekend. How about we go together?" He looked at Riley, who was staring at him with a continuous blank expression. He then said more clearly, "And this time, I _am_ asking you on a date."

Riley stared at him for several moments, then blinked and said, "All right."

Draco felt somewhat surprised, but then smiled and said gently, "Okay then, we'll see how that goes, and you can make up your mind afterward."

"All right," Riley repeated, standing up. With that, she grabbed her backpack and walked up the flight of stairs that led to the girl's dorm. She stopped on her way up, looked back at Draco, who was standing up as she left, and she said, "Thanks, Draco." With that, she walked up the stairs.

Draco smiled as he watched her leave, closing his eyes and putting his hands in his pocket. He looked over at the fire in the fireplace and thought to himself in a rather smug way, _Well, Weasley, I ought to thank you. You handed her right to me, and now, I win._


	19. Chapter 18: Too Stupid To Care

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: Too Stupid To Care

* * *

Harry arrived early in the Room of Requirement for the last D.A. meeting before the holidays and was very glad he had, because when the lamps burst into light he saw that Dobby had taken it upon himself to decorate the place for Christmas. He could tell the elf had done it, because nobody else would have strung a hundred golden baubles from the ceiling, each showing a picture of Harry's face and bearing the legend HAVE A VERY HARRY CHRISTMAS!

Harry had only managed to get the last of them down before the door creaked open and Luna Lovegood entered, looking dreamy as always. "Hello," she said vaguely, looking around at what remained of the decorations. "These are nice, did you put them up?"

"No," Harry answered as he shook his head. "It was Dobby the house-elf."

"Mistletoe," said Luna dreamily, pointing at a large clump of white berries placed almost over Harry's head. He jumped out from under it. "Good thinking," said Luna very seriously. "It's often infested with nargles." Harry was about to ask what nargles were for the hundredth time when Luna spoke while looking around the room, "Have you talked to Fred Weasley yet?"

"About what?" Harry asked, confused.

"About Riley," Luna said in a dreamy voice. "The Slytherin girl."

Harry was about to ask why he needed to talk to Fred about Riley when his eyes shot open in alarm. He had completely forgotten. Today was the first D.A. meeting since the Quidditch game; the first time that the two would be forced into the same room with wands in their hand since Fred had punched Riley!

Luna looked over at Harry with a smile and said, "Ought to be interesting, huh?"

Before Harry could answer, the door opened and Angelina, Katie and Alicia walked in. All three of them were breathless and looked very cold. "Well," said Angelina dully, pulling off her cloak and throwing it into a corner. "We've replaced you."

"Replaced me?" said Harry blankly.

"You and Fred and George," Angelina said impatiently. "We've got another Seeker!"

"Who?" said Harry quickly.

"Ginny Weasley," Katie answered, though she didn't sound any more pleased than Angelina.

Harry gaped at her.

"Yeah, I know," said Angelina, pulling out her wand and flexing her arm. "But she's pretty good, actually. Nothing on you, of course," she added, throwing him a very dirty look. "But as we can't have you..."

Harry bit back the retort he was longing to utter: Did she imagine for a second he did not regret his expulsion from the team a hundred times more than she did?"

"And what about the Beaters?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"Andrew Kirke," said Alicia without enthusiasm. "And me."

"You?" Harry asked in alarm. "What –"

"We've got a new Chaser," Angelina said in a sigh. "After all, we were still short one person."

"Obviously," Harry said abruptly, his mind reeling in confusion. "I can do the math. Who is it? And why did you switch?"

"Because Aria has no capability with a bat _whatsoever_," Katie said with a frown as she pulled out her wand.

Harry's jaw dropped. "_Aria_ is on the _Quidditch_ team?"

"Yeah," Angelina said as she nodded. Her eyes filled with genuine surprise as she admitted in a somewhat impressed tone, "You'd be surprised. She turned out to be a really good Chaser."

"I think we were _all_ surprised, even the other kids who tried out," Katie agreed, grinning from ear to ear. "She acts so natural up on the broom, and no one expected her to fly circles around Alicia in try-outs."

"That," Alicia agreed, "Plus I have more talent with the bat and Bludger than that idiot Jack Sloper. We almost made him a Beater when Aria came out. She has one of the brooms that Riley made. It was awesome to watch! Even _I_ was impressed, and I was the one being replaced."

"I can't believe _Aria_ is on the team," Harry said, shaking his head.

"Thanks, Harry," a voice said bitterly.

Harry turned his head and saw Aria walking into the room with George and Fred, followed closely by Ron, Hermione and Neville. Aria was looking at Harry with disbelieving, annoyed half-closed eyes.

"Sorry, Aria," Harry apologized. "I just never thought of you as being a Chaser, or involved with Quidditch at all."

Aria shrugged and was pulling off her cloak when she said, "Well, I wasn't planning on going after Chaser. I was actually out there to play for Beater, but frankly, I suck at Beater."

Angelina and Katie coughed, but said nothing.

Aria smiled teasingly at the girls and said, "I already told Angelina that the first thing I would like to do for the team is buy new uniforms. That way, everyone can have new uniforms that fit them correctly, and equipment that will actually keep them safe."

"Can you afford that?" George asked, staring at Aria in surprise.

Aria nodded and said, "Believe it or not, Harry's not the only rich person around here. I may be an orphan, but my parents left me a very wealthy orphan, and it's just been sitting in Gringotts for the last seventeen years without anyone touching it, so yeah, I feel comfortable paying for new uniforms and equipment."

"You're going to buy the team new uniforms?" Harry asked, remembering when Malfoy bought his way onto Slytherin's team.

Aria frowned and said seriously, "Yes, Harry, I am. I offered to do this _after_ I was already accepted onto the team, though thanks for the vote of confidence." She walked over to the far corner of the room and dropped her

"Sorry, it's just –" Harry began.

"It's all right, Harry," Aria said, turning to face Harry. She shrugged and said, "I get it. It wouldn't be the first time that someone underestimated me. Just give me a little more credit in the future."

Harry heard the sound of feet and before long, people began to fill the room again. Last to come in were Ginny, Riley and Cho, all of whom were smiling and talking busily about Quidditch.

As soon as Riley entered the room, all discussions ended. All eyes moved from whatever they were doing to Fred, who was standing against one wall, and Riley, who was just looking up from her conversation. Fred and Riley looked at one another, for a brief moment neither saying anything. Harry felt his fingertips prickle uncomfortably as he looked between the two. Cho and Ginny had stopped talking and were now looking between them. As uncomfortable as Harry felt, he wondered how awkward this must be for Ginny, standing between her best friend and brother.

Then, as quickly as they had looked at each other, Fred and Riley looked away. They did it at the exact same moment, as though on cue. Taking their cue from Riley and Fred, everyone began talking again, Riley returning to her conversation with her friends, and Fred returned to his conversation with Angelina about Quidditch.

Harry let out a deep sigh and looked over at Ginny, who had glanced over at him and seemed to be thinking the same thing: "Close call."

Once everyone had arrived, Harry faced the members and said aloud, "Okay, I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays and there's no point starting anything new right before a three-week break –"

"We're not doing anything new?" said Zacharias Smith, in a disgruntled whisper loud enough to carry through the room. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come..."

"We're all sorry Harry didn't tell you, then," said Fred loudly.

Several people sniggered. Harry looked over at Riley, who was standing right beside Ginny and Cho, both of whom were laughing, and saw that she was neither laughing nor smiling. This made his stomach sink. Two weeks ago, she'd have been egging Fred on. By the momentary glance Fred sent her, almost as though expecting something out of her, Harry saw that he agreed. But Fred looked away almost as quickly as he looked over at her, saying nothing. Riley just stood there, watching everyone silently.

"We can practice in pairs," said Harry. "We'll start with the Impediment Jinx, just for ten minutes, and then we can get out the cushions and try Stunning again."

They all divided up obediently. Harry noticed Riley and Fred glance between one another awkwardly, neither moving an inch, and then he wondered in panic what to do. He was about to suggest that he work with Fred while Riley work with Neville when Ginny said aloud, "Riley, why don't you work with me and Michael can work with Fred?"

Michael Corner clearly didn't look pleased, but no one said anything as they paired up with their new partners. Harry knew that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, because maybe now that Michael wasn't worried about hurting Ginny, he would actually work. Ginny looked over at Harry and he nodded gratefully to her. She blinked in acknowledgment, but said nothing.

Ginny walked over to face Riley, both girls drawing their wands. "You know you two are being stupid, right?" Ginny muttered, just loud enough for Riley to hear without using her super hearing.

Riley, whose eyes were cold, said in a dry voice, "You vomit nothing but blood for an hour and then tell me that."

"So what, you two are gonna throw your friendship out the window over _Malfoy_?" Ginny asked in disbelief.

"It's over a lot more than that," Riley muttered, setting herself into position while facing Ginny, who was bracing herself.

"Riley," Ginny said warningly.

"Tell you what," Riley muttered. "Ask your brother." She suddenly stood up straight, pointed her wand at Ginny and yelled, "_Impedimenta_!"

* * *

After ten minutes on the Impediment Jinx, they laid out cushions all over the floor and started practicing Stunning again. Space was really too confined to allow them all to work this spell at once; half the group observed the others for a while, then swapped over. Harry felt himself positively swelling with pride as he watched them all. True, Neville did Stun Padma Patil rather than Dean, at whom he had been aiming, but it was a much closer miss than usual. Riley and Ginny seemed to be muttering things beyond just incantations all the way through the lesson, but Harry couldn't hear them.

At the end of an hour, Harry called a halt. "You're getting really good," he said, beaming around at them. "When we get back from the holidays we can start doing some of the big stuff – maybe even Patronuses."

There was a murmur of excitement. The room began to clear in the usual twos and threes; most people wished Harry a Happy Christmas as they went. Harry noticed Riley taking her time, walking to the farthest side of the room from him, to a chair where she'd left her jacket earlier. He felt sick to his stomach to watch her. Where she'd once been thrilled and excited at doing this stuff, her own flair and sarcasm involved, she just didn't seem to care anymore. She just moved, did what she needed to.

"Riley," Harry said, catching her attention.

Riley looked up from where she'd sat her black leather jacket before practice. She was pulling it on, looking at Harry with a blank expression, showing the smallest sign of curiosity and interest. "Yeah, Harry?" she asked, looking exhausted.

Harry hesitated, wanting to talk to her about Fred and the Quidditch game, but guessing that wasn't the best idea. He hesitated, and then said, "When we get back, can you help me teach them how to do Patronuses?" When he saw her raise an eyebrow while adjusting her collar, he explained, "You're the only one in the D.A. other than me who can do one."

"Yeah, sure," Riley said, nodding. She smiled slightly and pointed up at the ceiling. "Mistletoe." Harry looked up and jumped out beneath it. Riley chuckled and smiled slightly before walking out of the room. "Better keep an eye out on where you stand. You don't want a girl walking up when you're underneath one of those, do you?" With that, she walked out of the room, leaving Harry alone again.

* * *

Riley walked down the hallway, frowning seriously as she walked further away from Harry, no longer feeling the need to pretend to be happy, or even pleasant. She walked until she saw George standing with Ginny and Aria, all three clearly waiting for Riley. She stopped in her tracks, though she paused for only a moment before she began to walk forward again. She was forced to stop, however, when Aria and Ginny deliberately walked into her path, George not having the courage to do so when it was so obvious that Riley was not in a good mood.

"Riley," Aria said awkwardly, "Fred –"

Riley faked a small smile and said, "Guys, in case you haven't figured it out yet, it's a little too soon to talk about me and Fred."

"He misses you, Riley," George insisted with a frown, walking up behind Aria with a serious expression on his face.

Riley raised an eyebrow and asked disbelievingly, "He does? He told you that?"

George shrugged and admitted awkwardly, "Well, no –"

"Look, George," Riley said impatiently, struggling to keep her voice calm. "It doesn't matter if he'd told you that or not. I've got my own set of problems right now, and honestly, you three aren't any of them. I know that you guys are in an awkward position because of this, but I'm not angry at you three, and I'd like to think that we're all still friends."

"Of course," Ginny said, nodding.

Riley nodded once and said, "Good. If Fred wants to talk, fine, but I don't want to hear what he does or doesn't have to say from you guys. Good afternoon." With that, not waiting for another word, she walked off past them, knowing that if she stayed around for a minute longer, they would insist on talking.

Riley walked down the hallway and toward the Slytherin common room when Draco suddenly appeared from one of the hallways, walking up right beside her. "Where were you?" he asked curiously. "I was hoping to find you in the library and do some homework together..."

Riley shook her head and lied her head off as she said, "Yeah, no, I chose to do my homework outside; down near Hagrid's."

"Why down there?" Draco asked, not hiding his confusion.

Riley shrugged and said, "No people, lots of silence. Perfect for studying."

Draco shrugged and said, "I guess. Hey," he said, moving to walk in front of Riley, a smile on his face. "You ready for our date the day after tomorrow?"

Riley forced a smile to her face and said, "Yeah, I am."

"Great," Draco said, smiling in pleasure. "Look, I'm going to go to dinner. Meet me down there when you're done."

"Yeah, no problem," Riley said, and then she watched as he spun around in a circle, moving around behind her in the same motion.

"See ya in a bit!" Draco called out as he ran off.

Riley rolled her eyes as she watched him leave. Then she turned and walked off, heading toward the dormitory.


	20. Chapter 19: Mrs Weasley

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Nineteen: Mrs. Weasley's Worst Nightmare

* * *

Aria rolled on her bed, a black cat underneath a mountain of blankets. She let out a faint meow now and then, restless in her sleep. She could hear someone in the distance... someone crying... someone screaming... But the sounds she heard were interrupting her dream, in which she was chasing a mouse, and a shrunken version of Riley in her wolf form, toying with her and laughing at her for the being the smaller one for once. It was a re-occurring dream that she much enjoyed, as Riley often chased Aria around when they were in their animal forms.

All of a sudden, the opening of a dorm cause cat-Aria to jump, all four paws spread out in alarm as she looked around. It was only then that she realized that she had transformed; something she often did when sleeping. She looked around and saw McGonagall in her night robes, running over to Ginny's bed, which was two beds down from Aria's. Aria blinked a few times, waking up from her drowsy sleep, and she watched as McGonagall gently shook Ginny by the arm.

"Miss Weasley," McGonagall said hurriedly. "Miss Weasley!"

"Hmm?" Ginny moaned slightly as her eyes began to slowly open, looking up to see McGonagall less than two feet from her face. (Aria shuddered at the thought of that being the first thing she saw at this early in the morning) "Professor McGonagall?" Ginny moaned. "What is it?"

"You need to come with me, Miss Weasley," McGonagall said hurriedly, standing up and stepping back a few feet. "Your father –"

Ginny was instantly sitting up, reaching for her robes at the end of her bed, a panicked look on her face. "What about Dad?" (Aria sat still, looking between the two of them)

"I'm afraid that he might be in danger," McGonagall explained.

Ginny's eyes widened even more in alarm. "What do you mean 'in danger'? What's happened to him?"

"Potter has seen him hurt. Please, Miss Weasley, your brothers are waiting outside. Come with me and we'll try to sort all of this out when we go to the Headmaster's office."

"Yes, Professor," Ginny said, getting to her feet and pulling a robe over herself.

McGonagall started to lead Ginny away, only to glance over at Aria and stop abruptly when she saw her. One of her eyebrows rose as she looked at Aria inquisitively. Aria just sat there beneath her blanket, realizing how stupid she must look, a cat in a human's bed, lying underneath the blankets like a human. Of course, McGonagall would know it was her!

McGonagall stood there, and then nodded as she said, "Very well, Miss Hardwick, you may come, too."

Aria slowly got to her paws, looked in either direction, then jumped off of her bed and walked over to grab her robe, though she didn't really need one. She had grown accustomed to wearing sweats and a shirt to bed so that, in the off event she slept-walk (since that never happened when she was a cat) and she transformed, she wouldn't be found naked. She simply wouldn't take that chance.

Aria walked as fast as Ginny and McGonagall, pulling her robe over her shoulders and grabbing a hairbrush to run through her hair. She handed it to Ginny, and when her friend looked at her as though she was crazy, Aria raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you _really_ want Harry to see you with morning hair?"

Ginny didn't hesitate to take the hairbrush and quickly run it through her hair.

* * *

It was only a few seconds before Aria, Ginny and McGonagall were with Fred, George and Ron. The six of them stormed down the hallway, moving as fast as McGonagall would let them go until they reached Dumbledore's office. When they finally reached it, McGonagall ushered all five of them in, all but Aria looking terrified (she just looked like she was going to pass out from exhaustion.)

"Harry - what's going on?" asked Ginny, who looked frightened. "Professor McGonagall says you saw Dad hurt -"

"Your father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix," said Dumbledore before Harry could speak. "He has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you back to Sirius's house, which is much more convenient for the hospital than the Burrow. You will meet your mother there."

"How're we going?" asked Fred, looking shaken. "Floo powder?"

"No," said Dumbledore, "Floo powder is not safe at the moment, the Network is being watched. You will be taking a Portkey." He indicated the old kettle lying innocently on his desk. "We are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back... I wish to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you -" He looked curiously at Aria, who was standing beside George, and he asked with interest, "Miss Hardwick, I was not expecting you to come with the Weasley's."

Aria blinked through her exhaustion and said, "The Weasleys and Harry are my closest friends, next to Riley." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Fred flinch. She didn't miss a beat as she continued to say, "I heard Professor McGonagall tell Ginny about her dad. I want to go with them and make sure that he's all right."

Dumbledore nodded and said, "In times like these, friends are extremely important. You may go with them, but be careful."

Aria understood the full meaning of what Dumbledore was saying, and she blinked as she said, "Yes, Professor."

"Come here then," Dumbledore said to Harry and the Weasleys, Harry and Aria. "And quickly, before anyone else joins us..."

The group gathered around Dumbledore and were all holding on when Dumbledore asked, "You have all used a Portkey before? Good. On the count of three then... one... two..."

Then they were gone. Right before Dumbledore could say 'three', Aria felt a strong wave of emotion, the kind that made her flinch and run when she was a cat. Maybe it was how exhausted she was, or how shortly ago it had been since she'd been in her cat form, but she felt what she normally couldn't, and had she been in her cat form, she would have hissed and run. She looked over and saw Harry glaring up at Dumbledore, unparalleled anger in his eyes. They they were gone.

Aria felt a powerful jerk in her stomach, as they whipping her backward as the ground disappeared beneath her. She felt as though she was being thrashed against all of the others in the group, and surrounded by a tornado of colors. Then, they were back on solid ground. Aria looked around and saw Harry almost fall over, his knees having buckled as he hit the ground. She saw that they were in Sirius's house, she could tell by pictures she'd seen and the way Harry had described it to her before. She found it rather dank and dark, but at the same time, it kind of suited her mood, being as tired as she was.

Aria suddenly felt as though she was going to vomit as a stench overwhelmed her nose. She held her right hand over her mouth, and George set a hand on her back as he asked worriedly, "Aria, are you all right?"

Aria nodded, but that smell... it was horrible... like stale beer that had been left out for two months without being cleaned up. She turned her head and saw a man that she recognized from newspapers as Sirius Black, running over to them, looking anxious. He was unshaven and still in his day clothes; Aria stood up straight as she realized that this was the man she was smelling. There was no doubt about it.

"What's going on?" he said, stretching out a hand to help Ginny up, as she had fallen to the floor. "Phineas Nigellus said Arthur's been badly injured -"

"Ask Harry," Fred answered, though he looked confused as he turned to Harry.

"Yeah, I want to hear this for myself," George said, equally confused.

"It was -" Harry began. "I had a - a kind of - vision..."

As Harry went into detail about his 'vision', Aria looked at Sirius. It was clear by the way he looked worriedly and with interest at Harry that he was listening to every word with concern, but she doubted it was totally for Arthur Weasley. He had a fatherly and brotherly look about him when he spoke to Harry and when he looked at him. Looking at him now, she could hardly believe that this was the same man that she'd seen in those newspapers, that she'd heard of. Then, back in America, he'd looked insane, mad and furious. Now, all she could see in him was confusion and concern, though the stench of the stale drink was about to make her vomit.

When Harry had finished telling his tale, Aria looked at the Weasleys and saw that they all looked horrified and almost angry at Harry, as though it had been his fault that their father had been hurt. The only thing that came out, though, was when Fred asked Sirius, "Is Mum here?"

"She probably doesn't even know what's happened yet," said Sirius calmly. "The important thing was to get you away before Umbridge could interfere. I expect Dumbledore's letting Molly know now."

"We've got to get to St. Mungo's," said Ginny urgently. She looked around at everyone, all except Aria still being in their night clothes and not suitable to travel. "Sirius, can you lend us cloaks or something?"

"Hang on, you can't go tearing off to St. Mungo's!" said Sirius.

"'Course we can go to St. Mungo's if we want," said Fred angrily. "He's our dad!"

"And how are you going to explain how you knew Aruthur was attacked before the hospital even let his wife know?"

"What does that matter?"

"It matters a great deal," Aria said, swallowing uncomfortably as she tried not to throw up. Everyone looked at her and she explained, "The fact that Harry saw this will not be considered a good thing. The Ministry's already working their tails off to discredit Harry, and the idea that he knew what was happening before the Ministry could do anything about it, or even find out, will only inspire panic that he might be some big, bad dark wizard. You don't want the entire Wizarding world to think that Harry can do the Dark Arts from hundreds of miles away from his 'victims', do you? Harry would be ripped away from Hogwarts in a hot second, and then he'd be practically in Voldemort's claws."

Everyone looked at her in confusion, except for Sirius who looked surprised. "Exactly," he said, sounding impressed. "See? This girl has the idea," he said as he walked over and set a hand on Aria's back, causing the stink to draw more closely than ever. "She's absolutely-"

"Excuse me!" Aria suddenly said, running out of the house and out onto the street. She ran over to the wall, set a hand against it - the other grabbing at her hair - and she suddenly began to throw up all over the sidewalk. She kept going for several minutes, unable to stop. When she finally stopped for a few seconds, she set the back of her hand over her mouth and took in several deep breaths through her nose, trying to calm down. She flinched and jumped when she felt a hand set against her back. Aria spun around and was surprised to see George standing there, looking confused.

"You all right?" George asked curiously.

Aria nodded and said, "Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just, well, I know you all love Sirius, but he _wreaks_."

George chuckled and said, "Yeah, he does kind of stink. Probably been drinking from having had no contact with anyone, poor bloke."

Aria nodded and looked at George, frowning as she asked, "How are you holding up?"

George frowned and said, "We've agreed to wait until Mum gets here before we leave for St. Mungo's, if that's any consolation."

"That's not what I asked," Aria said with a frown.

George frowned even more, looking very serious. "You know," he admitted. "I used to envy Malfoy's dad for having the high-paying job in the Ministry, and yet I hated him because he felt that having that job gave him the right to look down on our family, gave them the right to mock us in front of the entire Wizarding world. Now, I'm _grateful_ Dad wasn't given a more dangerous job. If this is what happens just for working in the Order, I'm _glad_ he's working with Muggle stuff, stuff that is too lame to be dangerous."

"Oh, believe me," Aria said, rolling her eyes. "You'd be amazed at how dangerous some Muggle stuff can be."

George smiled slightly and said, "I'll just be a lot more relieved and less anxious when I see him up and walking and okay."

Aria smiled and said, "I know you will be. Just hang in there a while longer."

George wrapped Aria in a hug and said gratefully, "I'm glad you're here, Aria."

Aria smiled as she hugged George back and said, "Always."


	21. Chapter 20: At St Mungo's

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Twenty: At St. Mungo's

* * *

Aria didn't sleep a wink that night. She stayed by one of the windows of the house, standing with her arms folded and her right shoulder leaned against a pillar in one of the rooms on the top floor. She stared out over the streets of London, thinking about her adventures with Riley this past summer, or more accurately, her jobs. She thought about school, about America and France, about everything that she and Riley had gone through to get here, wondering just what more they would have to endure.

Aria turned her head when she heard someone walking into the room. She didn't even have to look to say, "Hello, Fred."

Fred walked up beside Aria and shook her head. "I'll never understand how you and Riley do that."

"Wow," Aria said sarcastically. "Didn't know you could say her name without flinching so hard the earth shakes."

"Very funny," Fred said sarcastically.

"Who's kidding?" Aria asked through narrowed eyes up at Fred. "Quite frankly, the both of you are stupid." She looked back out the window.

"Maybe," Fred admitted, not sounding all that interested. "But what's done is done."

"You're right," Aria said blandly. "Nothing you can do about the past."

"Hmm," Fred said, looking out the window and the lowering moon. "Is that why you're standing here instead of sleeping?"

"I don't see you in bed," Aria snapped back in retort. "Or is this your version of sleep walking?"

"What's wrong with you?" Fred asked, looking at Aria defensively. "Have I done something to make you angry?"

"Fred," Aria said, facing Fred. "I could come up with half a dozen reasons why I'm in a foul mood right now, but I think the top of my list is that I'm several hundred miles from my best friend, my bed, and I'm sitting smack dead in the middle of a cat fight between two of my best friends. So excuse me for not feeling jolly this Christmas."

"I don't really feel like talking about Riley right now," Fred snapped. "Especially why we're fighting, if that's what you're hinting at."

"Good," Aria said in retort. "Because if you did, you'd have to find out what I'm like when I'm pissed, and believe me, you're not far from finding out."

Fred rolled his eyes and walked away, leaving Aria alone. Aria turned back to face the darkness, letting out a sigh.

* * *

"Here we go," said Moody.

It was later that morning that the group finally found themselves going to see Mr. Weasley at St. Mungo's. Aria was both curious and strangely interested, because it was her first time going, just like Harry. She'd been to a hospital before, and met some Healers, but she'd never been to a Wizarding hospital, which was amazing considering everything that she and Aria had gotten themselves involved in.

They had arrived outside a large, old-fashioned, red brick department store called _Purge and Dowse Ltd_. The place had a shabby, miserable air; the window displays consisted of a few chipped dummies with their wigs askew, standing at random and modeling fashions at least ten years out of date. Large signs on all the dusty doors read: CLOSED FOR REFURBISHMENT. Harry distinctively heard a large woman laden with plastic shopping bags say to her friend as they passed, "It's _never_ open, that place..."

"Right," said Tonks, beckoning them forward to a window displaying nothing but a particularly ugly female dummy whose false eyelashes were hanging off and who was modeling a green nylon pinafore dress. "Everybody ready?"

They nodded, clustering around her; Moody shoved Harry forward, and Aria walked forward willingly. Tonks leaned close to the glass, looking up at the very ugly dummy and said, her breath steaming up the glass, "Wotcher... We're here to see Arthur Weasley."

A moment later, the dummy gave a tiny nod, beckoned its jointed finger, and Tonks had seized Ginny and Mrs. Weasley by the elbows, stepped right through the glass and vanished.

Fred, George and Ron followed after them, Aria walking right with them. She was curious and surprised to find that they had stepped into a very crowded reception area where rows of witches and wizards sat upon rickety wooden chairs, some looking perfectly normal and perusing out-of-date copies of Witch Weekly, others sporting gruesome disfigurements

Witches and wizards in lime-green robes were walking up and down the rows, asking questions and making notes on clipboards like Umbridge's. Aria noticed the emblem embroidered on their chests, a wand and bone crossed.

"Are they doctors?" Harry asked Ron quietly.

"Doctors?" said Ron, looking startled. "Those Muggle nutters that cut people up? Nah, they're Healers."

Aria watched with interest as the Healers made their way from patient to patient, not paying any attention to the Weasleys, Tonks, Harry and Moody as they walked over to the reception area. She wondered just what kind of cases they saw here, what potions they used for remedies, and just what they could do to cure these people.

"Aria!"

Aria turned her head and smiled as George held a hand out to her. She ran over to him, not resisting as he set a hand on her back to guide her down the hallway. They ran over to one of the wards on the first floor, stopping outside several doors.

"We'll wait outside, Molly," Tonks said. "Arthur won't want too many visitors at once... It ought to be just the family first."

Aria waited outside with Tonks and Mad-eye while the others started to pile in. George looked over at her, surprised as though he expected her to come in, too. She shook her head and said, "You guys go in first."

George hesitated, then nodded and walked in with his family. Aria stood outside, covering her eyes with her hands. She looked up in surprise when Tonks said her name, looking at her curiously.

"I understand you're fair at Potions," Tonks said with interest. "Never fancied the subject myself, always thought it was a bit too complicated, all those measurements."

Aria forced a smile and said, "But you still became an Auror. Means you must have known some about it."

Tonks shrugged and said, "I knew enough to get by. My interest in being an Auror made me find a way to pass by O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. You worried about your O.W.L.s this year?"

Aria shook her head. "Whatever happens, happens. I'm not going to freak out over them."

"What do you want to do when you leave Hogwarts?" Tonks asked curiously.

Aria smiled and said, "I want to work for the Ministry's research department, furthering defensive potions and learning to create new ones for good purposes."

Tonks looked surprised at this. "That's pretty ambitious."

Moody grunted and said, "Not many witches pursue that field. Highly competitive, highly dangerous."

Aria looked over at Moody with a reckless grin and look in her eyes, only to say smoothly, "I like my chances."

Moody scoffed and looked away, saying nothing. Aria looked at Tonks, who was smiling in amusement.

A moment later, Molly Weasley and the kids came out. Aria walked with Tonks and Moody to get inside the room. Inside, she saw Arthur Weasley, older than Fred and George but with the same flaming red hair. He had a smile on his face that vanished when the door closed. "Is it all right if Aria stays in here, or do we need to kick her out?" Tonks asked with a frown as she looked at Aria uncomfortably.

In an instant, Aria realized just how serious the situation was. Molly Weasley walked back into the room, and Aria found that she was now standing in the presence of many Order members, and aurors. At a time like this, especially considering everything that had happened recently, it was no surprise that they were uncomfortable and suspicious. To the Order, Aria was nothing more than an ignorant student that wasn't quite of age yet. Although she knew that she couldn't tell them everything, Aria made the decision then and there to show that she could be trusted, and just how serious she was about what was going on.

Aria hesitated, then raised an eyebrow and turned her head back. She could smell all of the boys and Ginny standing right outside, and she could sense that they were moving fast. She suddenly grabbed her wand and pointed it at the door, not uttering a word as she thought, _Muffilato!_ A moment later, she heard Ginny groan, and smiled as she put her wand back. She looked at the others and narrowed her eyes. "You can trust me," she said with a smile. "Dumbledore trusts me not to say anything, and believe me when I say I know a lot more about you guys than you think."

* * *

"What just happened?" George demanded, throwing down his Extendable Ear. "Why is it so muffled all of a sudden?"

"Someone must have cast some sort of Charm," Fred said with a scowl.

Harry frowned. What were they talking about that they didn't want anyone else to hear?

* * *

"... they searched the whole area but they couldn't find the snake anywhere. It just seems to have vanished after it attacked you Arthur," Tonks said. "But You-Know-Who can't have expected a snake to get in, can he?"

"I reckon he sent it as a lookout," growled Moody, "'cause he's not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he's trying to get a clearer picture of what he's facing and if Arthur hadn't been there the beast would've had much more time to look around. So Potter says he saw it all happen?"

"Yes," Aria said, folding her arms. "But I think there's more to it than him just _seeing_ the snake attack Mr. Weasley. I heard him talking to Sirius, and apparently Harry saw this entire event from _within_ the snake's vision. He said it was as though he _was_ the snake."

Everyone looked unnerved at this. "Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry when I spoke to him this morning," said Mrs. Weasley.

"Of course, he's worried," growled Moody. "The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake... Obviously Potter doesn't realize what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him-"

"Don't be stupid," Aria snapped, looking at Moody.

Everyone looked at Aria in surprise, Moody almost looking angry. Tonks seemed to look at Aria with both surprise and delight, as though facing an entirely new race of people for the first time, someone unafraid to challenge Moody.

"Wha' d'ya say?" Moody asked, clearly offended.

"There's no way that Voldemort could be possessing Harry," Aria insisted angrily. "To even suggest it is insane."

"Don't say his name!" Moody snapped.

"I'll say his name whenever I very well please," Aria said defiantly. "What's he going to do? Come after me with two Aurors and a member of the Order standing with me? I may be young but I'm not stupid, Moody, and neither is he."

"And how do you figure that You-Know-Who isn't possessing Harry?" Moody asked challengingly.

"For one," Aria said in a matter-of-fact voice, "Harry is never alone anymore, so tell me when Voldemort would have time to possess him, somehow transport him out of Hogwarts grounds without Apparating or Disapparating, transfer him hundreds of miles, turn him into a snake, attack Mr. Weasley, and send him back to Hogwarts within a few minutes? Harry is surrounded by people all of the time at Hogwarts. Not only is it the safest place for him, but it's also the most convenient because Harry isn't alone. He's either with his teachers, his friends, or he's surrounded by fifty boys at night. You're supposed to try to figure things out, Moody, and you're probably right that Voldemort sent that snake to check the area, but there is no feasible way for him to have possessed Harry in the middle of over five hundred students."

Everyone stared at Aria in blatant surprise. Tonks smiled in admiration and said in a calm voice, "She's got a point, Mad-eye."

Moody grunted and said, "You know, you seem to have given this a lot of thought."

Aria frowned and said seriously, "It's like I said, Moody, I know more than you think."

"And you think you can risk the lives of everyone in this world on your suspicions?" Moody grunted, staring Aria right in the eye.

Aria smirked and said with a reckless smile, "I said it before and I'll say it again: I like my chances."

"You're an extremely reckless young witch," Moody grunted.

Aria narrowed her eyes and frowned defiantly up at Moody. _I guess Riley's been rubbing off onto me, after all, she _thought, though she chose to refrain from saying the words aloud. "I may be reckless, but at least what I say has some facts and sense backing it up. Your statements are all backed up by superstition and mistrust, which has kept you going well in the past, but in this case, it might not. In this case, _I'm_ right."

* * *

Aria walked out of the room twenty minutes later to find Harry in a foul mood. She was wondering what was going on with when the doors to the ward flung open and Aria was surprised to see Riley storming in, a black cloak covering her. "_Riley?_" Aria asked in surprise.

"I just heard," Riley said as she walked over, pulling her cloak off and revealing a very nice, long-sleeved red shirt that had a loose neck that hung down her chest. She walked over and hugged Ginny to comfort her, frowning seriously. "What happened? All Kingsley told me was that your dad was hurt..."

"Kingsley?" George asked in surprise. "Where did you see Kingsley?"

"In Hogsmeade," Riley said with a frown.

"Hogsmeade?" Aria asked in surprise. She'd completely forgotten that there was a trip to Hogsmeade this weekend. "You're dressed awful nice for Hogsmeade."

Riley glanced over at Aria bitterly for a moment before turning to look back at Ginny. Aria glanced over at Fred, who had frozen and was looking at Riley wildly. He seemed to have been thinking the same thing.

Ginny began to explain what happened, and while Aria expected to see the same confused and almost angry look on Riley's face, she didn't. Riley surprised her by saying, "It's a good thing Harry saw that, because otherwise, your dad might not have been as lucky as he was."

"Riley, can I talk to you for a minute?" Aria asked uncertainly.

Riley looked up at Aria in surprise, then hugged Ginny again before walking over and away, past where anyone could hear them.

"What's up?" Riley asked, suddenly serious. "Did you find out anything?"

Aria nodded and began to explain. When she was done, Riley looked surprised and almost disgusted. "That's insane!" she whispered angrily. "Do they realize how stupid that sounds?"

"I know," Aria said, nodding. "That's what I told Moody, and believe me, I think Tonks was the only one _not_ ready to kill me when it was over."

Riley smiled in disbelief at Aria. "You told Alistor 'Mad-eye' Moody that he was wrong and you were right?"

Aria hesitated, then admitted sourly, "Yeees."

Riley threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, that's rich. _That's_ rich!"

"You _agreed_ with me!" Aria said defensively.

Riley nodded and controlled herself as she said, "Yeah, I know. I still do, but to hear that a sixteen-year-old student told one of the greatest Aurors of all time off is _kind_ _of_ funny."

"And you're going to tell me that you wouldn't have said that?" Aria asked as she narrowed her eyes knowingly.

"Oh, I didn't say that at all," Riley said with a smug grin. "In fact, I probably would have been a lot more blunt than to tell him that he's wrong, but this is you that we're talking about, not me."

Aria hesitated, and then asked, "So, what were you really doing in Hogsmeade? I mean, you don't dress like that for no reason."

Riley frowned and said, "You know why I'm dressed like this."

Aria rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "Yeah, I do, I just can hardly believe it."

Riley narrowed her eyes and said, "It's not serious or permanent; I just said yes to the one time."

"Keep telling yourself that and you might believe it," Aria said, frowning as she walked past Riley and toward her other friends. "Don't worry. I'll keep my mouth shut about it. Just figure this stuff out, and soon."

Aria walked over to where the others were standing and saw that they all looked surprised and awkward as she walked over. She caught a glance of something in George's pocket, and instantly felt dread rise inside of her. They'd heard every word. They'd eavesdropped and heard her conversation with Riley, though she doubted they'd understood the last bit about the conversation.

Aria was opening her mouth to argue when she saw Mrs. Weasley walking over, an exhausted smile on her face. "Well, dears, it's best that we get to Sirius's now. I guess we will be spending Christmas there." She looked over at Aria and said, "Sorry, dear, I don't believe we've had the chance to formally meet. I'm Molly Weasley."

"Aria Hardwick," Aria said, smiling at Mrs. Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley turned her head and smiled at Riley as she walked over, a serious expression on her face. "I remember you, dear. You are Riley O'Malley. We met at the TriWizard Tournament last year."

Riley forced a smile and nodded as she said, "Yes, Mrs. Weasley, I believe we did. I also met your son Bill then."

Mrs. Weasley beamed and turned her head back to face the group as she said, "Well, since you have all been so kind and helpful in this time, showing your concern, you must come with us to stay for Christmas."

"Kingsley is outside, waiting for me," Riley said, giving a wave of her hand. "I guess I'll see you guys after-"

"Oh, no, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, looking appalled. "I was talking about you, too."

"_What?_" Fred, Aria, Harry, Ginny and Riley all said in unison.

"Mum, no," Fred said hurriedly. "She can't come."

"Don't be rude, Fred," Mrs. Weasley said, looking at her son in disbelief. "Of course, she can."

"Mrs. Weasley, I can't impose," Riley said, shaking her head.

"It's no imposition!" Mrs. Weasley said indignantly. "I insist."

"Mum-" Fred began.

"Quit being so rude, Fred," Mrs. Weasley said, glaring at her son. "I thought your father and I had taught you better manners than that. Sirius will love the extra company, especially considering..." She looked at Riley and chuckled, her eyes bright with excitement. "Well, then, come on. Moody and Tonks are already waiting outside for us."

As soon as Mrs. Weasley had walked past them, Fred closed his eyes in dread, turned on his heel, and followed her out. Ginny was looking around awkwardly, and she said quietly, "Mum thinks he's being rude now? Do you realize what she would do if she found out about what he did?"

Aria didn't like the image that came to mind. She looked over at Riley and saw a look in her eyes and opened mouth that made it appear that she'd been frozen in disbelief. She looked like a statue, only to close her eyes and mouth after a moment as she became overwhelmed with dread. "Let's go," she said in an exasperated sigh, signaling with her hand to go on.

Aria groaned slightly as she turned and walked off with George. This was going to be one interesting Christmas.


	22. Chapter 21: Possessed?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Twenty-one: Possessed?

* * *

Harry felt terrible.

Harry could never remember having felt as badly as he had since the night before, when he and the others had eavesdropped on Aria and Riley's conversation. For whatever reason, they hadn't been able to listen in on the one when Aria was standing in with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Tonks and Moody, but they weren't willing to miss out on Aria's explanation to Riley. Now Harry almost wished he had.

Possessed? The members of the Order really thought he was possessed? No, that couldn't be. He couldn't be possessed, he'd know. But then again, after everything that had happened in the last year, the way he'd been feeling, the sudden urges to attack Dumbledore, the way felt _while_ feeling those desires... was it possible?

The thought made Harry feel sick, dirty. He felt as though he'd been contaminated by some terrible virus, that if he were to be around others he would contaminate them, too. Then a terrible thought occurred to Harry. If he was truly being possessed, wouldn't Voldemort be able to see into the house? He was in Grimmuald place right now, the headquarters of the Order. He could be giving Voldemort a tour of everything inside and never know it. He could be putting everyone here, everyone he cared about, in danger. He couldn't do that to them, couldn't stay and wait for Voldemort.

No, he _had_ to go. Harry couldn't think of where he could go, and then a thought came to him, along with a feeling of misery. Private Drive? It was the only place where he would be safe, and it was far enough away that he wouldn't be endangering the Order. Yes, he had to go there.

Harry was on his way toward his room to grab his stuff when he walked through the main living room. He stopped in his place when he reached the room, his eyes falling on Riley. She was standing on a tall step-ladder that stood next to a ten-foot tall tree, hanging lights by hand, which struck Harry as odd, and yet he was feeling more dread than anything.

"Great," Harry muttered sarcastically, lowering his head and looking away.

"What?" Riley asked halfheartedly as she continued to hang lights. She barely glanced at him for a second, but mainly focused on wrapping the lights around the large and beautiful tree.

Harry hesitated, and then grunted, "I just wasn't in the mood to see anyone."

Riley raised an eyebrow and turned her head to look at Harry, the lights still wrapped madly around her arms, as though someone had purposely tied her up so that she couldn't move. "Thanks," she said loudly and sarcastically.

Harry realized how stupid that had come out, but couldn't say anything before she said bitterly, "What hippogriff crawled up _your_ butt and spread its wings?"

"I don't – wait what?" Harry exclaimed, looking at Riley in confusion. "What's _that_ mean?"

Riley narrowed her eyes in annoyance and said, "It's a – oh, never mind! What's got you so grumpy?"

"Haven't you heard?" Harry asked bitterly. "I know you talked to Aria last night."

"Yeah, so?" Riley asked, shrugging. "She told me about what the members of the Order were saying, and frankly, I think it's a bunch of bologna."

Harry looked at Riley through narrowed eyes filled with disbelief and skepticism. "You don't think I'm possessed?" he asked skeptically.

Riley looked at him with strange eyes, like she thought he was mad. She glanced briefly at him and said in a duh-tone, "No, of course not."

Harry couldn't quite understand Riley, as though she was speaking in an entirely different language. "So none of this stuff, the visions or anything, creeps you out?"

Riley raised an eyebrow and looked back at Harry and said, "Harry, you're talking to someone who started messing with the Dark Arts when she was twelve, burned an un-removable tattoo on her arm with magic, and has sworn to spend her life chasing the Death Eaters and kill them at _any_ cost." Harry realized what Riley meant by this, and when he thought about who he was talking to, he wasn't surprised that she didn't find any of this odd. Riley smiled in amusement as she stared at Harry and said, "Does the fact that you're having dreams from within the mind of a snake freak me out? No, Harry, it doesn't. I'm sure that there's a reason for it, one that _doesn't_ mean that you're possessed."

Harry frowned, looking away from her. She was on his side, but that didn't mean that it wasn't true. He could be possessed and Riley not know it.

Riley frowned serious as she looked at Harry. "Harry, you wanted my opinion, and I gave it to you. If you want to feel sorry for yourself by marrying yourself to an impossible and inconceivable solution, go talk to someone else, because I won't do it."

Harry looked at Riley in surprise, and then smiled slightly as he said, "I'm glad you're back."

Riley blinked in apparent surprise. She smiled slightly and asked curiously, "What do you mean?"

Harry looked up at her as she resumed the hanging of lights and he said, "Well, after..." He found that he couldn't say what he wanted to.

Riley raised an eyebrow at Harry and asked, "After Fred hit me on the Quidditch field in front of the entire school?" When Harry looked at her in surprise, she said with a serious expression on her face, "It's all right, Harry, you _can_ say it. I'm not going to have a nervous breakdown."

Harry blushed slightly in embarrassment and he said, "Yeah, well, after _that_, you kind of became a stick in the mud. You didn't really hang out with us, except for Ginny. You rarely even hung out with _Aria_, which surprised us all. And after that last D.A. meeting..."

Riley shrugged and said, "I haven't been in the friendliest mood recently, but there are _a lot_ of reasons for that."

"And what are they?" Harry pushed.

Riley narrowed her eyes teasingly at Harry. "When did you become this nosy?"

"When did you become this evasive?" Harry retorted.

Riley shrugged and said, "Around the same time that Fred hit me." When Harry's expression didn't change, Riley realized that he wasn't going to back off. Her eyes changed from blue to grey, emotionless as she looked away and said, "Believe me, Harry, there are some things that you just _don't_ need to know about."

Harry hesitated, and then asked, "Is it awkward for you?" Riley froze as she faced the tree, her expression blank as she looked at nothing. Harry continued to say, "I mean, you're sleeping outside on the roof in the dead of winter, by yourself, and you're here with the Weasleys. Isn't it awkward for you?"

Riley blinked and said in a bland voice, "I'm not happy about it, but it doesn't matter. Fred's made his decision. That's all that matters."

"You're not going to do anything about it?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What would you have me do?" Riley asked, her voice still flat.

Harry couldn't find an answer for her.

Riley blinked a few times, and then said, "There's nothing left _for_ me to do, Harry. What's done is done, and it seems to be Fred's wishes that our relationship ends the way it did." She pulled the string of Christmas lights off of her, withdrew her wand, and gave a wave of it. They instantly began stringing themselves around the tree on their own. She walked over, a sour expression on her face - almost as though she had no life whatsoever. She then said in a dry, bland voice, "Have a merry Christmas, Harry." With that, she brushed past him and walked out of the room, leaving Harry feeling worse than ever.


	23. Chapter 22: Christmas On The Closed Ward

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Twenty-two: Christmas On The Closed Ward

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Everybody spent the following morning putting up Christmas decorations. Harry could not remember Sirius ever being in such a good mood; he was actually singing carols, apparently delighted that he was to have company over Christmas. Harry could hear his voice echoing up through the floor in the cold and empty drawing room where he was sitting alone, watching the sky outside the windows growing whiter, threatening snow, all the time feeling a savage pleasure that he was giving the others the opportunity to keep talking about him, as they were bound to be doing. When he heard Mrs. Weasley calling his name softly up the stairs around lunchtime he retreated farther upstairs and ignored her.

It was around six o'clock in the evening that the doorbell rang and Mrs. Black started screaming again. Assuming that Mundungus or some other Order member had come to call, Harry merely settled himself more comfortably against the wall of Buckbeak the hippogriff's room where he was hiding, trying to ignore how hungry he felt as he fed Buckbeak dead rats. It came as a slight shock when somebody hammered hard on the door a few minutes later.

"I know you're in there," said Hermione's voice. "Will you please come out? I want to talk to you."

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, her pulling open the door, as Buckbeak resumed his scratching at the straw-strewn floor for any fragments of rat he might have dropped. "I thought you were skiing with your mum and dad."

"Well, to tell the truth, skiing's not really my thing," said Hermione. "So I've come for Christmas" There was snow in her hair and her face was pink with cold. "But don't tell Ron that, I told him it's really good because he kept laughing so much. Anyway, Mum and Dad are a bit disappointed, but I've told them that everyone who's serious about exams is staying at Hogwarts to study. They want me to do well, they'll understand. Anyway," she said briskly, "let's go to your bedroom, Ron's mum's lit a fire in there and she's sent up sandwiches."

Harry followed her back to the second floor. When he entered the bedroom he was rather surprised to see both Ron and Ginny waiting for them, sitting on Ron's bed.

"I cane on the Knight Bus," said Hermione airily, pulling off her jacket before Harry had time to speak. "Dumbledore told me what had happened first thing in the morning, but I had to wait for term to end officially before setting off. Umbridge is already livid that you lot disappeared right under her nose, even though Dumbledore told her Mr. Weasley was in St. Mungo's, and he'd given you all permission to visit." She looked at Harry and said, "I saw Riley when I came in, talking to Sirius. Must be awkward."

"You have no idea," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "It's like the house is divided completely when they're around."

"How did that happen?" Hermione asked, looking around in confusion.

"Riley showed up at the hospital to be there for me, Harry and Ginny," Ron explained. "Mum insisted that she stay for Christmas, even though Fred fought her tooth and nail about it. Riley wasn't going to, but you know Mum..."

"So..." Hermione sat down next to Ginny, and the three of them looked up at Harry. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine," said Harry stiffly.

"Oh, don't lie, Harry," Hermione aid impatiently. "Ron and Ginny say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back from St. Mungo's."

"They do, do they?" said Harry, glaring at Ron and Ginny. Ron looked down at his feet, but Ginny seemed quite unabashed.

"Well, you have!" she said. "And you won't look at any of us!"

"It's _you lot_ who won't look at _me!_" said Harry angrily.

"Maybe you're taking it in turns to look and keep missing each other," suggested Hermione, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"Very funny," snapped Harry, turning away.

"Oh, stop feeling so misunderstood," said Hermione sharply. "Look, the others have told me what you overheard last night on the Extendable Ears –"

"Yeah?" growled Harry, his hands deep in his pockets as he watched the snow falling thickly outside. "All been talking about me have you? Well, I'm getting used to it..."

"We _wanted_ to talk to you, Harry," said Ginny, "But as you've been hiding ever since we got back –"

"I didn't want anyone to talk to me," said Harry, who was feeling more and more nettled.

"Well, that was a bit stupid of you," said Ginny angrily, "Seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels."

Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then he wheeled around. "I forgot."

"Lucky you," said Ginny coolly.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, and he meant it. "So... so do you think I'm being possessed, then?"

"Well, can you remember everything you've been doing?" Ginny asked. "Are there big blank periods where you don't know what you've been up to?"

Harry racked his brains. "No."

"Then You-Know-Who hasn't ever possessed you," said Ginny simply. "When he did it to me, I couldn't remember what I'd been doing for hours at a time. I'd find myself somewhere and not know how I got there."

Harry hardly dared believe her, yet his heart was lightening, almost in spite of himself. "This dream I had about your dad and the snake, though –"

"Harry, you've had these dreams before," Hermione said. "You had flashes of what Voldemort was up to last year."

"This was different," said Harry, shaking his head. "I was inside that snake. It was like I was the snake... What if Voldemort somehow transported me to London –?"

"One day," said Hermione, sounding thoroughly exasperated, "You'll read _Hogwarts, A History,_ and perhaps _that_ will remind you that you can't Apparate or Disapparate inside Hogwarts. Even Voldemort couldn't just make you fly out of your dormitory, Harry."

"You didn't leave your bed, mate," said Ron. "I saw you thrashing around in your sleep about a minute before we could wake you up.

Harry started pacing up and down the room again, thinking. What they were all saying was not only comforting, it made sense... Without really thinking he took a sandwich from the plate on the bed and crammed it hungrily into his mouth...

I'm not the weapon after all, though Harry. His heart swelled with happiness and relief, and he felt like joining in as they heard Sirius cramping past their door toward Buckbeak's room, singing "God Rest You, Merrye Hippogriffs" at the top of his voice.

* * *

Harry awoke on Christmas morning to find a stack of presents at the foot of his bed and Ron halfway through opening his own, rather larger, pile. "Good haul this year," he informed Harry through a cloud of paper. "Thanks for the Broom Compass. It's excellent. Beats Hermione's… she got me a homework planner…"

Harry sorted through his presents and found one with Hermione's handwriting on it. She had given him, too, a book that resembled a diary, except that it said things like "Do it today or later you'll pay!" every time he opened a page.

Sirius and Lupin had given Harry a set of excellent books entitled Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts, which had superb, moving color illustrations of all of the counter-jinxes and hexes it described. Riley had given Harry had copy of one of her books of self-invented spells, though he knew that these wouldn't be all of them. Still, there were some interesting ones in here, and that was only after a moment's glance that he realized that. Also, she gave him all of the notes that she'd collected for Transfigurations and Potions the last year while snooping around the fifth and sixth years' classes, all of which he had never done before and knew would come in handy later. Aria had given Harry a similar book of Potions, only she'd scribbled out certain things and added her own notes, which quite frankly, he trusted more than the published version. Hagrid had sent a furry brown wallet that had fangs, which were presumably supposed to be an anti-theft device, but unfortunately prevented Harry putting any money in without getting his fingers ripped off. Tonks's present was a small, working model of a Firebolt, which Harry watched fly around the room, wishing he still had his full-size version; Ron had given him an enormous box of Every-Flavor Beans; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley the usual hand-knitted jumper and some mince pies; and Dobby, a truly dreadful painting that Harry suspected had been done by the elf himself. He had just turned it upside down to see whether it looked better that way when, with a loud crack, Fred, George and Aria Apparated at the foot of his bed.

"_Aaaack!_" Ron exclaimed, clearly not expecting to see Aria there. He panted, and then asked, "How did _you_ Apparate? You're not seventeen yet!"

Then they saw that Aria had been holding onto George's arm, only to release it when they appeared. Aria smiled and said, "Wait six months and I will."

"Merry Christmas," said George as he looked around, only to add abruptly, "Don't go downstairs."

"Why not?" asked Ron.

"Mum's crying again," said Fred heavily. "Percy sent back his Christmas jumper."

"Without a note," added George. "Hasn't asked her how Dad is or visited him or anything..."

"We tried to comfort her," said Fred, moving around the bed to look at Harry's portrait. "Told her Percy's nothing more than a humungous pile of rat droppings –"

"Didn't work," said George, helping himself to a Chocolate Frog. "So Lupin took over. Best let him cheer her up before we go down for breakfast, I reckon."

"Where's Riley?" Ron asked, confused. "And Hermione and Ginny?"

"Since Mrs. Weasley can't stop crying," Aria explained. "Ginny and Hermione are staying with her and Riley's taken over breakfast."

"That sounds potentially dangerous," Ron said uncomfortably.

Aria shook her head. "It'll be fine. Riley's good in the kitchen. Besides, Sirius is helping her out."

"Those two have spent a lot of time together since we got here," Harry said, sounding surprised and somewhat jealous.

"Reckon it's because he knew her mum and dad," Fred said, still looking at the painting. "What's that supposed to be, anyway? Looks like a gibbon with two black eyes."

Everyone stared at Fred in alarm, as though he'd just popped out two goblin ears of his own. Clearly, none of them had known this tiny bit of information that Fred had shared, and they were looking at him with a "you choose to just _now_ bring this up?" expression.

"Wait, Riley's parents knew Sirius _personally?_" George asked in surprise.

Fred nodded, not looking up from the painting, and said in a flat voice, "Yeah; went to Hogwarts for several years. Don't know what they did or anything, but I know her mum was from Slytherin, dad from Gryffindor."

"Weird," Ron said, sounding surprised.

"Oh, it's Harry!" George said, pointing at the back of the picture. "Says so on the back!"

"Good likeness," said George with his twinkling eyes.

* * *

Once they had had their Christmas lunch – which turned out surprisingly well, Riley was very proud – the Weasleys, Aria, Harry and Hermione were planning to pay Mr. Weasley another visited, escorted by Mad-Eye and Lupin. Riley offered to stay behind to keep an eye out on the place.

Riley watched as the others left in a car, her hands folded behind her back. She watched them leave, suddenly wanting to see Buckbeak. She'd had very little time to spend with the hippogriff, and it excited her, made her curious. They were her favorite of all magical creatures.

Riley ran up the stairs and into Buckbeak's room, only to be surprised when saw Sirius standing near the large creature, rubbing his beak with his hand. Sirius turned his head when Riley entered the room, also looking surprised.

"Oh, Sirius," Riley said awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize –"

"No, it's quite all right," Sirius said with a smile. "Actually, I'm glad to get a chance to talk to you. I've wanted to meet you in person ever since Harry told me about you."

Riley shrugged and said in a not-so-pleased voice, "Yeah, I know he told you about me. Wasn't too thrilled about that."

Sirius nodded and said, "Helen Mask and Stephen O'Malley's daughter. Black Raven." He shrugged and said, "That, and I read about you last year during the TriWizard Tournament."

Riley smiled as she walked over and said, "I see." She stopped within a good ten feet of Buckbeak. She bowed and watched as the hippogriff examined her carefully, as though deciding whether to trust her. Finally, he bowed his head in return. Riley stood up and walked over, a smile on her face.

Sirius raised an eyebrow and said in surprise, "Very good. I'm impressed."

"Thanks," Riley said, walking up and setting a hand on Buckbeak's beak. "He's beautiful."

"That he is," Sirius agreed, looking Buckbeak over. "You ever been around a hippogriff before?"

"Never," Riley said, shaking her head. "But I've _read_ a lot about them."

Sirius smiled as he watched Riley with Buckbeak, and he said in a sigh, "You remind me so much of your parents."

Riley looked at Sirius and asked curiously, "In what way?"

Sirius smiled and said, "Physically, you look almost identical to your mum; same hair, eyes, face, height, everything. Your personality is a combination of both your mum _and_ dad. You have the same haughty, stubborn attitude of your mum with a belief in equality of all, love for Transfigurations and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and aptitude for school. But at the same time, you have your love for magical creatures, which is completely Stephen."

"I understand that you knew him," Riley said, looking at Sirius.

Sirius smiled and said, "Oh, yeah. I knew _both_ of your parents, and quite well. Stephen ran with me, Remus, James and Wormtail. He didn't come to Hogwarts right away, but he was a good mate, one I won't forget."

Riley smiled and looked back at the hippogriff, her eyes filled with longing and regret. "I've only got one memory, and it's of the night they died. That, and I saw one of Dumbledore's."

"I heard," Sirius said with a smile at Riley, stroking Buckbeak's neck. "You saw the meeting with your mum and dad with Dumbledore, correct?"

Riley nodded.

Sirius nodded and smiled as he said, "Your mum got pulled into that office almost as often as we did, but she was smart, Helen was, and always covered her trail. Everyone knew she'd done what she had, but no one could prove it."

"Sounds like me," Riley said with a smile.

"So I hear," Sirius chuckled. "Burning the pink cardigans and setting toads loose in Umbridge's office?" Riley couldn't help but grin, Sirius laughing. He nodded and said, "That's exactly the kind of thing she would have done."

"What about my dad?" Riley asked curiously.

"Whitefang?" Sirius asked with a smile. "He was one of us, always goofing off; didn't attack Snape as much as James and I did, but had intense enough of a loyalty so that when Snape would attack us, he would always jump in between and stop Snape. Both were incredibly strong, your parents."

Riley sighed and said, "I wish I'd known them."

Sirius frowned and asked, "What do you know about their deaths?"

Riley frowned, blinking several times before she said, "My parents, the leaders of the Black Ravens, had called a meeting. All of the members came to our house. I was almost three, and upstairs in bed, asleep. My parents had placed some sort charm on my bed so that no spell could enter it. Voldemort and Bellatrix LeStrange made their way to my parents' house, came in, and set the place on fire with fiend fire. He killed my parents with the killing curse, but never knew that I existed." She frowned as she said, "I should have died that night, but instead, I was sent to an orphanage where I lived for two and a half years, completely alone. Then Aria came," she said, her voice not as dull. She looked at Sirius and asked, "You know what's under my wristband, don't you?"

Sirius, who had glanced down subtly at her wrist several times, looked back at her, and said, "I've got a good guess."

Riley blinked and said, "You must think I'm an idiot for branding myself a Black Raven, don't you?"

Sirius shook his head and said, "Not an idiot, no, I just don't know if you know exactly what it means. It's no different than being in the Order."

"It _is_ different," Riley said firmly, facing Sirius. "My parents _founded_ the Black Ravens. The Black Ravens don't just stop with legal moves, worrying about what should and shouldn't be done. I can do spells that my friends have no idea about, that they would never have guessed would be possible for me to do. They have no idea what I'm capable of, or how far I'll go to rid this world of Voldemort and Bellatrix LeStrange."

Sirius searched Riley's eyes and said, "Your eyes are dark; filled with a lust for revenge and a burning passion that I remember well from your parents." He frowned and said, "You're seventeen. That look shouldn't be in your eyes."

"I've had it since I was three," Riley said, frowning. "Since I witnessed the murder of my parents. You can ask Aria if you want, but I've lived for only one thing: the Black Ravens. I put this mark on myself at the age of twelve, when I got my first wand and attended Durmstrang. I've dedicated my life to the downfall of Voldemort and all who follow him. Nothing means more to me."

"Even your friends?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow.

Riley hesitated and admitted, "I love my friends, but if it came down to a choice between my heart or my duty, I don't know which would come first."

Sirius blinked and said, "Then you really _are_ your mother's daughter."

"Excuse me?" Riley asked in surprise, thrown by the comment.

Sirius blinked again and said, "Helen was Slytherin's Prefect, as I'm sure you know by now, and nothing meant more to her than the people in her House. She was willing to stick by them no matter what, to do anything for them. She didn't like Snape, but she would defend him, even against James, her own boyfriend." He fell silent instantly, realizing how stupid the statement must have come out.

Riley raised an eyebrow, unable to stop from smiling as she asked in surprise, "My _mother_ dated Harry's _father_?"

Sirius smiled, looking embarrassed, and he said, "Yeah. Didn't mean to say that aloud, but yes, your mother was willing to attack her own boyfriend if it meant protecting the people from Slytherin. In the end, she felt that her duty came before her heart."

Riley hesitated, and then said, "Like mother like daughter."

Sirius blinked in agreement, and then said, "Just don't forget what you're leaving behind if you decide to cross that line." She blinked in surprise at him, and he said, "Choose what you want out of life, and don't compromise it for anything. If you want the Black Ravens, stick with it and give it all you have. Don't forget your friends, though, because whether you're a Black Raven or not, they'll be there, even Fred."

Riley frowned, looking down. She felt extremely vulnerable about the Fred subject, especially as she was in his house, sleeping outside so as to avoid him.

Sirius frowned and said, "I don't know the entire problem, but I do know that something is wrong. Just be careful, and don't lose him."

"We're home!" a voice yelled, and Riley recognized Harry yelling from downstairs.

Riley looked at the door, then back at Sirius, who seemed to have done the same thing. She said calmly, "_He_ gave up on _me_, Sirius. I've already lost him." With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Sirius alone.


	24. Chapter 23: Together At Last

A/N: Sorry that it's been so long since I've updated, especially considering that I was updating every day for a while. But with the holidays, my birthday, and my stupid dentist appointments, I couldn't seem to find the time to write and update. Plus, I'm working on finishing one of my real stories that I'm going to be submitting for publication. I haven't finished this particular one yet, but I'm well on my way, and I love it. I think everyone else will, too, but in the meantime, here's the chapter that I know several, if not a lot of, people have been waiting for. Hope you all like it. Please let me know what you think. Anyway, on we go...

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Twenty-three: Together At Last

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It was the day after Christmas when Aria felt the disappointment of having to see Riley leave. Riley had been determined to return to Hogwarts, though Aria couldn't imagine why on earth she'd rather return to Hogwarts and deal with Umbridge than stay at the Weasleys. But at the same time, Aria knew exactly why. If Riley stayed, she would have to continue to see Fred, and it was as obvious as day that something was going on between the two. Even Mrs. Weasley had caught up on the tension, though she never asked.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" Aria asked in disappointment as Riley stood with Tonks, getting ready to leave Grimmuald Place.

Riley frowned seriously and said through squinted eyes filled with regret, "I need to go back, Aria. I never planned on staying this long, and there are some things I need to tie up."

Aria knew exactly what Riley was talking about: Riley needed to go back and prepare an explanation for Malfoy, who she'd left in Hogsmeade when she ran to St. Mungo's, for the Weasleys. No doubt he would be mad, or at least offended, and she would need time to come up with an explanation, and staying at the Weasleys' with Fred wouldn't provide the environment she would need to figure that out.

George was standing beside Aria, Harry and Ginny on her other side. Hermione and Ron were inside, already having said their good-byes. Aria walked up and hugged Riley. "Good luck," she whispered.

Riley smiled as she pulled away and said, "It's only a week, Aria, not a lifetime. I'll see you guys soon enough."

Still, Ginny and Harry walked up and said their good-byes. Harry smiled and said, "Thanks for those spells, by the way. They're going to be really helpful, once school starts again."

"And thanks for the Defense Against the Dark Arts books and Shrinking Sack," Riley said with a smile. "They'll be really helpful for the D.A. meetings."

"No problem," Ginny and Harry said in unison.

"Come on, Riley," Tonks said, her hair changing from short and red to long and green as she waited somewhat impatiently.

"Yeah," Riley said over her shoulder. She looked up above their heads, frowned, and then turned around. She said over her shoulder, "Write me!"

"Will do!" Aria said.

Riley pulled out her wand and she and Tonks instantly disappeared. Once they were gone, Ginny said dryly, "I'm still not used to the idea that Riley is old enough to practice magic outside of school."

"I know," Harry agreed with a smile. "Useful, though, wouldn't you say? I mean, she can Apparate anywhere."

"True," Ginny agreed. "Wanna come with me inside, Harry?"

Harry smiled and said, "Sure." He looked at Aria and asked, "You wanna come with us?"

Aria shook her head and said, "Go on ahead."

Harry and Ginny walked off, leaving George and Aria alone. Aria looked back up behind her and frowned seriously when she saw Fred standing at one of the windows, looking down with narrowed eyes. He then turned and walked away.

"You think those two will mend their problems?" George asked seriously, clearly having seen Fred as well.

"I hope so," Aria admitted. "But honestly, I don't know."

"Wanna take a walk with me?" George asked, smiling at Aria.

Aria smiled up at George and said brightly, "I'd like that."

George and Aria began walking away from the house, George with his hands in his pockets and Aria with her arms folded. "So," George said, looking down at the ground. "How are you liking Quidditch?"

Aria smiled and said, "Honestly, I love it. I'm looking forward to our game against Ravenclaw next month." She frowned and admitted, "I just wish that I could have joined the team under different circumstances."

George nodded and said in agreement, "Me, too. You gonna try out again next year?"

Aria grinned from ear to ear and said, "Oh, yeah, definitely. I love being a Chaser, and I'm good at it. I hope Harry becomes Captain."

"What, think being his friend will ensure your place on the team?" George teased as he looked at her.

Aria shook her head and said with a smile, "No, of course not. I just think that he would put together a good team. He's talented and would do great as the team's Captain."

"I agree," George said, nodding.

Aria raised an eyebrow as she looked up at George, both amused and curious as she said in a clearly amused tone, "George, did you really bring me out here to discuss next year's Quidditch team?"

George blushed and admitted, "No, I didn't."

"What's up?" Aria asked, stopping and facing George with her arms folded, blocking out the cold.

George stopped and faced Aria, shifting uncomfortably. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out something, a box wrapped in gold wrapping paper. He reached out with his right hand and held the box out to her. Aria blinked at him in surprise, and George quickly said with a smile, "No, it's not a ring or squirting flower."

Aria laughed in amusement and took the box. She unwrapped it, shoving the paper into her jacket pocket, and found that there was a box inside. She opened the top to the box and blinked in surprise when she saw what was inside. Lying in the box, its face pointed right at her, was a watch. It was silver, a handsome watch with a galleon placed inside the face for a background, the hands floating right above it and pointing at the time. Aria pulled the watch out of the box and turned it over, staring at it with her jaw hanging open in disbelief.

The watch was more than just ordinary, and not a cheap one, either. It appeared to be made out of pure silver, charmed to tell time. Aria turned it over, running her fingers over it, and blinked again in surprise when she saw that there were small letters engraved into the back of the watch. She looked closely and read the words. They spelled out: _The time may fly, but now it will stay with you forever. G.W._

Aria smiled up at George, who was looking at her with a small smile, clearly unsure of her reaction. "George," Aria said, completely thrown. "This is amazing!"

"Do you like it?" George asked nervously.

"I'm surprised," Aria said, unable to hide her smile. "I never would have thought of this. I'm just curious why? This isn't a cheap watch, or easily found."

George nodded and said, "Yeah, I know. It's pure silver, with a Galleon on the inside. It cost me ten Galleons to have created."

"But why?" Aria asked, looking at him in confusion. "Why would you do this for me?"

George raised an eyebrow at Aria, suddenly the one who couldn't hide his smile. He said in an impatient, yet teasing voice, "Aria Hardwick, if you can't tell that I like you, I'll take back the watch and bash my wand over your head with the hardest spell I can think of."

Aria let out a laugh and asked, "Is this your way of asking me out?" She held up the watch, being careful not to drop it.

George blinked, smiling gently as he said, "No, it's not." When he saw Aria's surprised and somewhat disappointed look, he continued to say, "The watch is because you're horrible at keeping track of time, and I don't feel like going cheap when buying something for you." He walked up to Aria and leaned over, his face only a few inches away from hers. "As for the part about asking you out, I thought that would come next."

Aria's eyes glinted with amusement, and she suddenly leaned upward, wrapping her arms around George's neck and kissing him. George wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. Aria kissed him, unable to smile as she thought of the last time that George had tried to kiss her; it had been a year ago, around the same time, when he and Aria had been alone in the Gryffindor common room and were talking. They'd experienced a moment together, one that could have easily resulted in a serious make-out session. It was the first moment when they both experienced a single moment of mutual attraction in a place and time where they could have been together, but Aria had turned him down because of the fact that they would soon be leaving. Now, though, there was nothing to stop them. They were in the same place, feeling the same thing, and could finally be together.

* * *

An hour later, Aria and George made their way back into the house, both with huge grins on their faces. George had his arms wrapped around her waist, her hands on top of his. She tried not to smile, for fear of giving away the truth, but she found that she couldn't stop. As they walked into the house, Aria felt alarm and embarrassment to see Sirius, Molly and Ginny walking over. The three stopped when they saw George and Aria, who had stopped when they saw that they had company.

Mrs. Weasley looked between George and Aria, her eyes lighting up. She suddenly let out a cry of happiness and ran forward. She grabbed onto Aria by the shoulders and kissed her on either cheek, hugging her close as she yelled out, "Praise the heavens, my boy's finally found himself a girlfriend!"

Aria laughed as she allowed Mrs. Weasley to continue hugging her. Mrs. Weasley pulled her head back and looked at Aria with laughter in her eyes as she said brightly, "I always knew that George would one day find a girl he liked and would be happy with. I'm glad that he chose you, a sensible and talented young witch."

"Easy, Mum," George said as he walked over, an amused grin on his face. "We're not getting married today."

Mrs. Weasley gave her son a dismissive wave of her hand. Ginny smiled in amusement and said with a teasing look in her eyes, "It's about time."

Aria laughed and said, "Of course, now that Riley's gone." Ginny walked over and hugged Aria, laughing along with her.

Sirius smiled and said with approval, "Good luck, both of you. This has been one happy Christmas, that's for sure."

Aria smiled, unable to argue. It hadn't been the ideal Christmas for her. As she looked up the staircase, she saw that Fred was standing there, frowning down at them. This only reminded Aria of her ideal Christmas, which was one where Fred and Riley would have been dating, not Riley and Malfoy. Still, when she was with George, she couldn't complain, even if her dreams hadn't come completely true.

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A/N: I know it was kinda short, especially compared to some of my chapters, but it was more of a chapter to settle the uprising that I'm sure was coming if I didn't get it out there soon. Plus, this concludes Christmas break, and now we'll be returning to school.


	25. Chapter 24: The Offer

A/N: I am so happy. I've got over a thousand hits on this story, though it's kinda sad that i only have that many for this many chapters, but i'll take what i can. even so, i've got almost nine thousand on my last one, which thrills me to no end. i hope that number keeps going up, for both stories. we're about half way through this story already, so get ready for this chapter, which will be kinda random and kinda shocking at the same time, but it does explain a little.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Twenty-four: The Offer

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"You and George are dating?" Riley asked, her eyes lighting up from exhaustion to surprise and delight. "That's great!" Her voice was filled with exhaustion as she spoke, but Aria believed her as she said wearily, "I'm really happy for you."

Aria smiled, only to frown and say, "This isn't how it was supposed to be, Riley. You were supposed to be with Fred when George finally asked me."

Aria and Riley were standing right at the opening of the Great Hall, where everyone was gathering for breakfast. It was their first day of classes since the return of students from Christmas Break, and Aria hadn't been able to wait another minute before telling Riley about her news.

Riley shrugged and said, "It may not be right, but that's the way it is."

"Do you really like Malfoy?" Aria asked quietly, looking at Riley sadly.

Riley sighed and admitted, "I do. It's not like what I felt for Fred, but yeah, kinda."

Aria shook her head and said, "I don't get it, but I trust you."

"Thanks," Riley said, blinking gratefully.

"Do you think you two will ever make up?" Aria asked warily, looking at Riley with regret.

"Me and Fred?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow. Her eyes saddened as she said, "I hope so." She looked around and said, "Come on. We should be getting to our tables before everyone thinks we're plotting the destruction of the school."

Aria smiled and said, "With Umbridge here, that might not be such a bad idea."

Riley chuckled and the two girls split up, Riley walking over to the Slytherin table. She sat down next to Draco, who was waiting for her. He smiled when she sat down beside him, adjusting himself so that he was sitting right next to her, almost too close for comfort. Still, Riley knew that she would have to get used to it. Their date had gone well, much better than Riley had expected, and he'd accepted her apology and explanation when she'd returned.

All of a sudden, owls came flying through the air, mail attached to their feet. Letters and packages began to drop all over the Great Hall. Riley was somewhat surprised when Sunny came flying in, and dropped two things into her hands. One was a rolled up copy of _The Quibbler_, and one was a white envelope.

"What ya got?" Pansy asked curiously. She pointed to _The Quibbler_ and asked, "Can I see that?"

"Yeah, sure," Riley said, handing over her copy of the magazine. "Have at it." Riley took the white envelope and turned it over in her hand. She looked at the seal on the back, only for her heart to stop and her eyes to widen when she recognized it.

"What's wrong?" Blaise Zabini asked, looking at Riley through narrowed eyes. "Where's that from?"

"I don't think anything's wrong, per se," Riley said, turning the letter over and making sure that it was for her. "It's just... it's from... Excuse me," she said as she suddenly got to her feet and walked out of the room, leaving her classmates in confusion.

Aria watched Riley walk out of the Great Hall, looking extremely confused. Aria wondered what was going on, not able to remember many times when Riley had looked this perplexed. She had a white envelope in her right hand, and an extremely perplexed look on her face. Aria looked over at Ginny and saw that her feelings were reflected on Ginny's face, who was watching every step Riley made, right out of the Great Hall.

Ginny looked over at Aria, and then stood up. Without saying a word to Aria, Ginny left the room, walking out into the entrance hall.

Ginny walked out of the Great Hall and into the entrance hall to find Riley sitting on a flight of stairs, her knees together, her elbows on her knees, and her hands in her hair. They were clutched tightly against her head, as though she had ran her hands through her hair and just stopped. A white letter was sitting on her lap, opened and with a seal on one end of it. Riley's eyes were closed, and she looked as if she was doing everything her power to not scream or cry, Ginny couldn't tell which.

"Riley?" Ginny asked as she slowly walked over. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

Riley couldn't even answer her. She held up the letter and Ginny took it, hesitating before she looked down at it and read the seal. Her eyes widened in alarm, and when she looked up at Riley, she saw Riley looking at her, a serious look on her face. Ginny's mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, she just looked back at the letter and read.

* * *

_Dear Miss Riley O'Malley,_

_Please allow me to first congratulate you on your success last year in the TriWizard Tournament, as I was able to watch one of your Tasks, and heard that you came in second. From what I saw and heard, you did remarkably well, and that deserves congratulations. Still, this is not the nature of my contacting you. No, the nature is more personal._

_I am sorry to hear that you were involved in an accident with Fred Weasley, but let me assure you that this is the common, inferior reaction that one can only come to expect from a Weasley. They hold no notions or understanding of respect for those of superior blood and heritage, and react with rash and barbaric displays of aggression to resolve their issues._

_I was disappointed to hear that you were unable to come to the Manor for the holidays, per Draco's request. Rest assured, however, that the invitation is extended to the Easter Holidays and summer. My wife and I are thrilled to discover that you have initiated a romantic relationship with our son, Draco, and we would like to meet you as soon as possible._

_There is one other matter that I would like to discuss with you that regards Draco. I know that you are still deliberating on the matter of coming during Easter vacation. Should you choose to come with Draco, I would like to discuss a business transaction with you regarding the brooms that you have devised and are working to sell. I have certain connections in the marketing world, and can not only give you the names, contact information and my support for the top broom makers in the world, but I would also like to buy enough brooms from you to supply the Slytherin Quidditch team for the next five years, at six hundred Galleons per broom. Should you come, we can discuss the particulars, as well as some other matters. Please inform us of your decision as soon as possible, via owl. I will be awaiting a response._

_Sincerely,_

_Lucius Malfoy,_

_Lord of Governors, Ministry of Magic_

* * *

Ginny stared at the letter for several moments before looking at Riley in disbelief. The first thing out of her mouth was, "Are you dating _Malfoy_?"

Riley sighed and said wearily, "We went on one date in Hogsmeade, two weeks after…" Ginny's eyes softened with understanding, and Riley continued to say, "It was only one time, but that was the day that we got news of your dad's injury. That's why I was dressed so nicely when I showed up at St. Mungo's. Draco had asked me that day if I would like to come with him to his house for the holidays, since I wasn't going to go with your family..."

"That's fast," Ginny said, sounding surprised. "That's like making a declaration, and to Lucius Malfoy, that would be like an engagement."

"Exactly," Riley said awkwardly. "That's why I didn't go. I didn't know what to say, but when Kingsley showed up in Hogsmeade and told me about your dad, it was like a sign from heaven, no offense. I wasn't sure whether the whole Draco-and-me thing was real or rebound, and then I got the offer thrown at me, and I – I panicked. I left with Kingsley, wrote Draco and told him that I was sorry, but couldn't because I was with a sick friend for the holidays. I hadn't really thought of the offer until just now when that letter came in. Sunny dropped it off, I grabbed it and saw the seal, and then, I don't know..." Her voice trailed off, and she looked down.

"Well, what does this mean?" Ginny asked, confused.

Riley sighed and looked back up at Ginny to say, "It means that Lucius Malfoy is bribing me to date his son." Ginny blinked in surprise and Riley explained. "Seven players on a Quidditch team, five years. That's thirty-five brooms at sixty Galleons per broom. That's twenty-one _thousand_ Galleons, all paid for upfront, just for me to come over for Easter."

"But to go is declaring that you and Malfoy are a couple," Ginny said, nodding in understanding. She hesitated, and then asked, "Do you think Malfoy knows?"

"Draco?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow, "I seriously doubt it. Not that he isn't capable of it, but he's more about mind games than money. Money's more of his dad's thing."

Ginny frowned, not bothering to hide her confusion. "Okay, _now_ I'm confused. If you know that Malfoy likes to play mind games, and you know that his dad's a total jerk, his mum probably not any better, then why are you considering dating him?"

Riley frowned and hesitated before saying, "I guess it's because, even though he can be a total jerk, when we're alone, I feel like he's completely open and honest with me."

"And Fred?" Ginny asked, knowing that it was impossible to beat around the bush, especially now that this letter was out there, the offer standing in the air like a bad smell.

Riley frowned and said coldly, "He doesn't want me, Ginny."

"Yes, he does. He's just too stubborn and embarrassed to approach you, even if he knew how to," Ginny argued quickly.

Riley shook her head and said clearly, "I can't be with someone who doesn't have the guts to tell me that they're wrong and sorry."

"Riley, he wasn't just wrong," Ginny said, somewhat loudly and with emphasis. "He _hit you_ in front of the _entire school_."

Ginny knew that that had sounded stupid, only for Riley to glare at her skeptically and say sarcastically, "Really? I hadn't figured that out, but thanks for clarifying it for me."

"You know what I mean," Ginny said irritably. "How is he supposed to approach you and make it up to you after that?"

Riley shook her head and said, "All I need is to hear him tell me why he did it. Other than that, I really don't care."

"Have you told him that?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Riley said in a duh-tone. "And I don't intend to. I don't want you to, either, or anyone else. If Fred can't find the strength to approach me on his own, I'd rather him not approach me at all. Being coerced into something isn't worth it."

Ginny hesitated, and then said, "This is a game of chicken you're playing, you know that, right?"

"Yeah," Riley said, shrugging carelessly. "Or chutzpa, whichever you want to call it."

"Do I want to know?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.

Riley frowned and said, "It's a – oh, never mind. Basically, it's a game of chicken. You go until one of you gives in."

Ginny frowned seriously, still somewhat confused, and she said, "Well, this game of, whatever you call it, isn't going to end well, you know that, right?"

"Most likely," Riley said, shrugging carelessly again.

"Neither of you are going to end up happy at this rate."

"I know," Riley said, her gaze still calm. "But that's not the reason we play."

"Then why?" Ginny asked, more confused than ever. "Why go through all of this if it's not what either of you want, and you know that no one will come out victorious? Or even happy?"

"It's not about the win," Riley explained calmly. "It was never about the win."

"What?" Ginny asked, confused.

Riley's eyes were serious and empty as she said, "There are some games, Ginny, that once you start them, you can't go back. You _have_ to see them through until the end, even if you don't like where it leads you."


	26. Chapter 25: The Patronus

A/N: This chapter is going to be kinda confusing for a moment, but after a few chapters, more will reveal itself as to why it's so confusing. if you're confused, which i suspect you will be, ask me about it in a review or pm, and I'll explain somewhat.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Twenty-five: The Patronus

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Riley walked beside Ginny, talking as they walked into the Room of Requirement. "So, do you know what we're studying today?" Ginny asked.

Riley nodded. "I talked to Harry during Defense Against the Dark Arts and he said we're going to practice patronuses today."

Ginny smiled, her eyes brightening. "That ought to be cool." She looked curiously at Riley. "Can _you_ perform a patronus?"

"Yeah," Riley said. "My advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher taught me how to perform one my third year. Mine is a…" Her voice trailed off when she felt someone brush past her. She felt a pit in her stomach when she saw Fred walk past her, not even looking back.

Ginny saw Riley's eyes half-close and felt a rush of sympathy for her friend and a rush of anger at Fred. Ginny rubbed Riley's back and smiled at her. Riley forced a smile, but Ginny could see the hurt in her eyes.

Riley and Ginny fell into two lines, standing right next to one another as Aria ran to the other line across from them. After everyone had fallen in, they looked down at Harry, who had his wand in his right hand and down at his side.

"All right," Harry said. "Today we're going to begin practicing patronuses."

There were several murmurs of excitement. Riley looked at Fred and his eyes flickered toward her for a moment, then he looked back at Harry.

"Riley," Harry said, and Riley nodded in acknowledgment. "Would you step out so that you can show them your patronus after me?"

Riley nodded and walked to the opposite end of the line as Harry, as though about to duel him. Harry held his wand out toward her. "_Expecto Patronum_!" he yelled.

A silver stag suddenly shot out of the end of his wand and reared up on the ground, pawing out with his hooves.

There were several murmurs of shock and "ooh's". Then they all looked down at Riley expectantly.

Riley pointed her wand forward above her head. She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering when she and Fred had danced last year at the Yule Ball. Riley opened her eyes all of a sudden and took a step forward, thrusting her left hand forward with a snap, pointed it at Harry, and yelled, "_Expecto Patronum_!"

There was a bright flash of light and a silver form leapt from the end of Riley's wand. Riley looked proudly at the tiger patronus standing in front of her. It raised its head and let out a loud roar.

There was a roar of applause. Riley stood straight up and gave a wave of her wand and the patronus disappeared.

Harry nodded. "Now," he said, his patronus disappearing. "I want you all to back up and stand by yourselves somewhere around the room, facing the wall." As the kids backed up and stood by themselves around the room, Harry added, "Now, I want you to think of a strong memory, a very powerful and happy memory. It's got to be an extremely happy memory. Then say the incantation '_Expecto Patronum_'."

Everyone pulled out their wands and the room was suddenly filled with voices saying, "_Expecto Patronum_."

Harry walked over beside Riley. "Aria seems to be catching on quickly," he said, looking at Aria, who was holding her wand out while silver wisps from her wand began forming into a lioness, which was sitting down and opening its mouth in either a silent roar or a yawn.

Riley smiled proudly as she watched the lioness and said, "She's a powerful witch."

Harry frowned as he looked at Fred, who was holding his wand out with a small series of silver wisps coming from the tip of his wand, but not forming anything.

"Good job, Ginny!" Riley clapped as a large horse patronus came from the end of her wand and galloped across the room. Ginny beamed happily.

"Riley," Harry said quietly. Riley looked at him in confusion, wondering why he was being so quiet. Harry frowned. "I want you to go over and help Fred with his patronus."

Riley froze, her eyes growing huge. She looked from Fred to Harry and shook her head, her voice shaking as she said, "No, Harry. I can't."

"Riley," Harry said firmly. "I need you to help him. I have to help Neville out with his."

Riley, seeing that Harry wasn't going to let this go, nodded. She took in a deep breath and let it out before walking over toward Fred.

Ginny walked over beside Harry and watched Riley slowly walk toward her brother. "So you asked her to help him?" she muttered. "Subtle."

Harry nodded. "She has to face him at some time," he said quietly.

When Riley walked up next to Fred, he turned his head and lowered his wand. He glared at her. "What do you want?" he grunted.

Riley felt as though he had stabbed her in the chest with a butcher's knife. She frowned and managed to say calmly, "Harry's told me to help you with your patronus."

Fred hesitated, then looked away, subtly accepting it.

Riley frowned, facing the same direction as him. "First of all," she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. "I know you're angry with me, but if you want to perform this patronus, you'll have to forget about our fight and calm down."

Riley could sense Fred relax slightly and raise his wand. She felt a lump grow in her throat as she reached up with her hand, taking Fred's hand in hers and standing so close to him that she could feel the vibration of his breathing. She swallowed hard and said quietly, barely able to speak, "Now, close your eyes." Fred obeyed and closed his eyes. Riley frowned, and then whispered in his ear, "Now, think of the happiest feeling you've ever felt, the happiest memory you can come up with." Riley saw him hesitate, then relax even more, and she knew he had his memory. "Now," she whispered, barely able to breathe. "Say the incantation."

"_Expecto Patronum_!" Fred yelled, his eyes shooting open.

There was a blinding light and Riley had to narrow her eyes just to be able to see. She saw silver come from the end of Fred's wand and saw a pair of eyes. She heard Fred gasp and then saw the patronus disappear. Riley opened up her eyes and saw Fred look slightly in her direction. "I, uh, I think I– Riley?," he muttered, only to ask in surprise when Riley suddenly ran away, covering her mouth as she ran out of the room.

Harry frowned as he watched Riley run off. He looked at Ginny, who was frowning hard. "Wonder what happened." He looked at Ginny and asked curiously, "Did you see what Fred's patronus was?"

"No," Ginny said darkly, her eyes narrowed with understanding as she watched her brother, who looked as though he'd just been hit with an anvil. "But I've got a good guess." _Like the rest of us that are close to Riley, Fred knows that Riley is a wolf animagus. Even if Harry and Aria are the only ones that have actually seen her in wolf-form, the rest of us know. If his Patronus turns out to be a wolf, then it would explain why he would pull away. Even more important, it would prove once and for all that he cares about her more than he is ever willing to let on._

* * *

Riley raced down the hallway, covering her mouth as she raced for the Slytherin dorm. She was almost there when she passed a group of Slytherins, Draco among them. He looked at her in surprise as she ran by, saying aloud, "Riley?"

Riley raced down the hallway until she reached a trash can. She grabbed onto it with one hand and pulled her hair back with the other before she began vomiting into it. She threw up several times before she felt a hand set on her back.

Draco stood by Riley, a confused and concerned look on his face as he asked, "Riley, are you okay?"

"Stay away from me," Riley said shaking her head as she backed way, not even facing Draco. She ran into the Slytherin girl's dormitory and up into the bathroom. She continued vomiting into the sink, holding her hair back and barely having enough time in between vomits to breathe.

She hadn't thought it would be this hard. She'd worked so hard to harden her heart after Fred had hit her, after she'd seen what Draco was really capable of in his heart. What had she just felt? Holding onto his hand, she'd felt some sort of overwhelming feeling of happiness. Pictures had flashed into her mind, pictures of when she and Fred had danced together last year, when he'd held her before she'd left for America, laughing with her... It had all been there, in that one moment, more emotions than she thought she could bare.

Once she was done throwing up, Riley pulled off her clothes and turned one of the showers on. She walked into it and sat down in the corner, huddled up in a tight ball as tears poured down her face, water pouring all over. She just wanted to be alone, to cry all of those emotions out. What had happened back there? Why couldn't she let him go?


	27. Chapter 26: Busted

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Twenty-six: Busted

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Riley walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts class three days later, looking around for Professor Umbridge. She narrowed her eyes when she saw the woman sitting in her chair at her desk, a look of deep thought on her face as she looked out at the students entering the room. Why was Umbridge so happy? What had happened? What child had she killed?

But Umbridge said nothing, only smiled pleasantly, looking rather smug as everyone came inside. Riley walked to her desk, the front row, and watched as everyone streamed in. Draco sat down beside her, a serious look on his face. Riley hadn't seen him look so put out in a long time, and she began to wonder if he knew what was going on with Umbridge. The two had been spending a lot of time together, but that was the stupid Inquisitorial Squad thing, or at least she thought so.

It wasn't until everyone was in their seats that Umbridge began to speak. She didn't even start with the normal 'hello' and fake 'good morning, Professor Umbridge' that Riley had expected. That only proved just how excited, or angry, she was. Then, the words that Riley heard made her understand why.

"We have a lawbreaker in this classroom."

Everyone looked around in confusion, and Umbridge smiled as she looked around, pulling her wand out and saying, "It seems that a person in this school has seen fit to break several of our rules by participating in a club that was not approved by myself, collected contraband that consists of tools used for Dark Magics, and snuck out of the castle after hours for unknown reasons." She looked at Riley and said, "Miss Riley O'Malley."

There were gasps from all over the room, and half of the kids there (mostly the Gryffindors) looked at one another in fear. They knew exactly what Umbridge was talking about now. She knew about the D.A.! But she was only pointing out Riley, so did she not know about Harry and the others as well? His question was answered a minute later.

Riley's eyes narrowed as she looked up at Umbridge, but she said nothing. Umbridge gave a flick of her wand, and all of a sudden items began to appear, enough dummies, wands, magic coins, joke supplies, books regarding the Dark Arts, and the defense of them. It was the D.A.'s stuff that Riley had been entrusted with, that she'd kept hidden for them.

"All of this was discovered, shrunken, inside of one of Miss O'Malley's bags in her trunk," Umbridge said. "Enough contraband to not only supply herself, but at least thirty other people." She walked over to Riley's desk and looked down at her, Riley not having had said a word. She narrowed her eyes at Riley and asked, "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Riley blinked and shrugged as she said in a duh-tone, "No."

"Tell me the names of those in the club you have been participating in," Umbridge instructed simply. "Tell me the names of those that Dumbledore has recruited in order to conspire against me, this school, and the Ministry."

"Dumbledore _built_ this school," Riley said in retort. "He's still in charge, in spite of your wishes. He _is_ Hogwarts. You're just a cheap imitation that the Ministry has cooked up in an attempt to control impressionable minds."

There were gasps from all around the room, and everyone looked at one another in alarm. Harry's eyes widened in horror. Riley was digging her own grave, and it was getting deeper every minute, so deep you could bury an elephant there.

Umbridge blinked and said, "You won't tell me those names?"

Riley blinked in return and said in an excellent imitation of a sincere ignorance, "I don't know what you're talking about. This supplies are all mine. I just like having a lot of extras, that's all."

Umbridge sighed and said, "Well then, I'm afraid that I have no choice but to expel you."

Riley stood up, facing Umbridge and looking down at her, her eyes clear. Everyone stared, wide-eyed, and watched the scene. Riley said in a matter-of-fact voice, "Headmasters and headmistresses are unable to expel a student without illegal activity having had gone on. You cannot expel a student without there being a death involved in the case, or an illegal curse used. I have disobeyed your school rules, yes, but you only have the grounds to give me detentions, even suspend me. Still, you cannot expel me, and they're not the school's rules; they're the Ministry's, so as to prevent Headmasters and headmistresses from expelling students based off of a personal dislike." Her eyes flashed.

"I can change that easily," Umbridge said haughtily. "For now, you have detention every night for the next three months, unless you choose to give up those names."

Riley blinked and said, "The detentions are permissible, but you will have fun changing that law, because to do so requires going through the Ministry, and yes, while it is true that you have the Minister under your ugly cardigan (several girls sniggered) to do the process of changing a law that has been in place for over eight hundred years, through the Ministry, requires involving the Department of International Affairs, along with the entire court, the Headmasters and Headmistresses from around the world, as you cannot change one law without changing every law. To do the procedure correctly will take at least seven months; to rush it takes four."

Harry stared at Riley, impressed. She'd done her homework, expected this. She'd taken every precaution, and been ten steps ahead of him and his friends in the game. Why? Had she known not to trust the sneaks in Slytherin?

Umbridge looked ready to blow up, being embarrassed in front of the entire class, all of whom were chuckling now. She looked at Riley and said, "Detention every night from now until the end of the school term!"

"That's _five months!_" Hermione exclaimed in disbelief.

Umbridge looked at Hermione through narrowed eyes and asked, "Do you have any comments to put in, Miss Granger?"

Hermione remained quiet, knowing that she would be likely to get herself into trouble if she said another word.

Umbridge looked back at Riley and said, "As I was saying, detention every night from now until the end of the school term, unless you are willing to give up your partners in crime?"

Riley blinked and said, "I'm a loner, a fact that I think everyone here could attest to. I haven't exactly been on great terms with a lot of the students here for a while, a fact that I _know_ everyone could attest to." Everyone looked away uncomfortably. Riley raised her chin, her eyes cold and serious as she said firmly, "I work alone, and always have. I'm not part of any club," she added with a sneer as she glared at Umbridge, the contempt in her eyes obvious. "Those possessions are mine, and mine alone."

_Wow!_ Harry thought as he stared at Riley in dismay. _She's an incredible actress! An incredible liar. If I didn't know better, I would believe every word she says. The fact that she's so convincing is a little unnerving. But I know that most people like her and feel bad for her about what's going on with her and Fred. Those that don't like her for it are the people that hate Slytherin, even if she isn't a bad one. Ever since the fight with Fred, she's become more and more of a traditional Slytherin. She's been spending more and more time with the Slytherins, and has been doing less and less to stop them from terrorizing._

Umbridge fumed and said, "Report at five o'clock for detention. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Riley said simply.

"Your Head of House will be informed, and you will undergo any punishment that he sees fit," Umbridge said. "In addition..." She reached up and took off Riley's Prefect pin, causing Hermione and Ron to gasp. Umbridge smiled as she said, "I strip you of your station as a Prefect, as you are no longer the right person for the job. Instead, Pansy Parkinson will take your position."

Riley said nothing, feeling hurt and angry, but said only, "May I return to my seat?"

"Yes," Umbridge said, clearly irritated that she hadn't received more of a reaction. "Meet me after class."

Riley turned on her heel, walked back to her seat, and saw Aria, Harry, Hermione and Ron looking at her with horror, along with the rest of the D.A. members present, including Neville, Seamus, Dean and Parvati. Riley sat down, ignoring Draco's look, and she grabbed her textbook from her bag, acting as though nothing was wrong.

"Are you all right?" Aria whispered. "I am so sor–"

Riley gave a wave of her left hand over her shoulder, indicating to leave her alone. She was so overwhelmed right now that she couldn't have described it to anyone.

Harry exchanged glances with Aria, Hermione, Ron and some of the other D.A. members, all feeling terrible about themselves, but none saying a word. They all knew why Riley had refused to say anything, but they couldn't believe it. Riley was about to undergo terrible torture for them, especially since the longer it took for Umbridge to get her information, the more intense the punishment would be.

* * *

Class was dismissed an hour later. When the ball rang, Harry leapt to his feet, seeing that Riley wasn't moving, and ran out of class, along with most of the kids. Like water poured on the ground, people began to fan out, discussing what had happened. Harry saw a lot of the Slytherin kids looking smug, some crowding around Pansy to congratulate her. Pansy looked so honored that you would have thought she'd received the Prefect's badge on her own, and Harry wondered how many of the Slytherins actually liked Riley.

Harry gathered down the hallway with a bunch of the other Gryffindors, including Neville, Parvati, Ron, Hermione, Aria and Dean. They all looked equally panicked.

"What _was_ that?" Ron hissed.

"One of the Slytherins must have been snooping around in Riley's stuff," Harry said irritably.

"Ten galleons says it was Pansy, that cow," Hermione said under her breath.

"Creeps!" Parvati said in disgust as she glared over at the Slytherins as they gathered and whispered amongst themselves down the hallway.

"It doesn't matter now," Harry said, shaking his head.

"What _do_ we do now?" Hermione asked, looking worried. "This all rides on Riley right now, but we can't let her take all of the blame. Besides, Umbridge is going to be watching every move we make."

"We need to hold a meeting," Harry said aloud. "To see if –"

Harry suddenly heard doors slamming open at the same time from all around, people swarming outside and looking either interested, ecstatic, or terrified. The happy ones seemed to be the Slytherins, and the worried ones seemed to be the D.A. Members. Harry's eyes widened in alarm when he saw the looks of the people around, and he realized the truth.

"They know," Harry said under his breath in disbelief.

"What?" Dean asked, confused.

Fred and George, who had just come from Snape's classroom, looked around, caught sight of Harry and the others, and stormed over. Their eyes were wild with alarm and Fred demanded, "Where is she? Where's Riley?"

"You know?" Neville asked in surprise.

"Snape just told us," George admitted with a nod. "Snape is never exactly Mr. Giggles, but it was obvious that he _was not_ happy. I can't even imagine what he's going to do once he gets his hands on her. Gave the entire class a lecture on 'school loyalty' and 'importance of rules'. I don't think he believed what he was saying, though. He's just repeating what he's been told to say."

Fred looked around and said, "It looks like every teacher did the same thing." He was looking around and watching the students flood from classrooms all around, whispering anxiously to one another.

Harry looked around and nodded in agreement. "We need to have a meeting," he said in a low voice.

"What? When?" Fred asked, surprised and confused.

"Tomorrow," Harry said, looking back at the others. "It's the weekend, no classes. Contact those you can, have them meet at three in the afternoon."

"Right," the group said, and suddenly began to split up, all of them with an idea in mind: they had to contact the others.

* * *

Riley sat patiently in her seat, her arms on her desk, her hands folded, and her mouth placed against her hands. She stared straight ahead, listening as students from all around her began to march out. She couldn't describe how angry she was, how hurt. She'd trusted the Slytherins – most of them, anyways – and they'd gone and snooped through her stuff. Which one? Pansy? _Probably._ She was the only one who would have thought about it, her or Millicent, who was the biggest pain Riley had ever come across.

Once all of the students were gone, the doors magically slammed shut, and Riley could barely hear what was being said outside, though it didn't take a lot to guess. Riley heard Umbridge's shoes hit the floor and clunk as she strode over to stand near her. Riley didn't raise her head, only saw the woman's fluffy pink stomach. Then she saw the tip of Umbridge's wand pointed right at her nose. Riley could sense the fear and anger off of the woman, and that was enough to make Riley look up, not out of intimidation, but interest. Still, she kept her expression blank, cool and collected.

Riley sat back in her seat, her arms folded as she looked at Umbridge. The woman's face was darker now than her cardigan, making her look like a big red toad. Her hand all but shook, though Riley didn't know if it was from annoyance or anger.

Umbridge's voice was quiet, but shaky as she said with anger, "I have put up with a lot from you this year, Miss O'Malley, but I'm finished with your insolence. You were correct about it taking too long to expel you, but believe me, I _will_ find a way to make sure that you stay out of my way."

"Get out of mine," Riley responded shortly. "It works great."

Riley suddenly sensed power growing in the wand, and with a flash of movement, she was on her feet with her wand in her hand, deflecting the Stunning spell that Umbridge sent at her. Umbridge's eyes widened in anger and disbelief, and Riley's eyes narrowed and hardened in anger. She was nearly a head taller than Umbridge, and had absolutely no fear of her.

"Put your wand away, Miss O'Malley."

"Self-defense," Riley responded in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's not going anywhere, and if you try to take it out of my hands, you'll find out just what I do when I'm pissed."

"A threat upon the High Inquisitor is a dangerous mark upon your record," Umbridge said shakily, taking a step back and keeping her wand pointed

"You've already read my record," Riley pointed out. "It can't get much more harmed. You made sure of that."

Umbridge laughed, the shaking suddenly stopping. "That's true," she admitted in an assured voice. "I never wanted you to be allowed into this school, you _snake-talking freak_." Each word was spoken with disdain and disgust. She looked Riley up and down and said, "Slytherin has been my greatest supporter, every member from the fifth year and up being part of my Inquisitorial Squad, every member except for you."

"I don't associate with _toads_," Riley sneered.

Umbridge looked livid, and she said, "How you ever ended up in Slytherin, I will never know. You are the bad egg, the rotten scum who doesn't deserve to -"

"All I hear when you talk is 'bla, bla, bla'," Riley said, making a hand-puppet and rolling her eyes as she mocked Umbridge. She frowned when she saw Umbridge looking furious. "You've got me here in two hours. Do you have anything productive to say, or are you going to just keep talking my ear off? Because quite frankly, your comments are having absolutely no effect on me."

"Hmph!" Umbridge snorted angrily, standing up as straight as possible, which wasn't much of an improvement. "Report here at five, and don't plan on being present for dinner."

"Fine," Riley said, and grabbed her bag before walking out of the room. She stopped when she reached the door, and looked back to say, "And by the way, I don't need my wand to fight back." With that, she slammed the door open and walked out.

Riley walked down the hallway and was surprised to see Fred standing by the rail, looking concerned. She walked by him, only for him to turn and face her and ask, "How'd it go?"

"So _now_ you're talking to me?" Riley asked, looking over at Fred through disbelieving eyes.

"Come on, I'm serious," Fred said, his eyes serious as he looked at her with something of concern in his eyes.

Riley hesitated, not turning to face him as she answered, "I've got detentions every night from now until the end of the term, starting at five at night. She told me not to plan on attending dinner, which means that I'll be going at least two hours each night, probably longer."

"That hag!" Fred exclaimed. "Well, should we –"

"Look, Fred," Riley said, stopping and turning around on her heel to face him. "Can it, all right? I've got to go meet up with the other Slytherins and bark this matter out. Trust me, between my anger and their defensiveness, it's going to be hell in there. But for now, tell the D.A. to keep their mouths shut, and everything will be fine."

"You shouldn't have to take this on by yourself," Fred said, shaking his head.

Riley frowned, her eyes growing cold as she said in a cold voice, "I've been by myself for a long time." Fred flinched, clearly taking the comment personally, and Riley added, "If you all talk, we're _all_ in deep trouble. Let me take this, and you guys can keep going." She hesitated, and then said quietly, "I get the feeling that we're going to need the D.A. more than just for practice. I can get away without the practice, not many others can." Without waiting for Fred to say another word, Riley turned around and stormed off, sliding her wand into her back pocket.

Fred frowned as he watched Riley walk away, every fiber in his body compelling him to run after her. But he knew that she was right, on more than one level. It was that knowledge that allowed him to turn around and simply walk away, hoping with all of his might that Riley truly knew what she was doing.


	28. Chapter 27: Emergency Meeting

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Twenty-seven: Emergency Meeting

* * *

The Room of Requirement filled of fast. Every member of the D.A. had shown up on time, everyone seemingly worried, and for the same reason. Harry watched, Hermione at his side, as everyone stood around the room, all looking nervous. Fred and George had been right, it seemed that every teacher had brought up Riley's rule-breaking, and no one had put up a fight to coming together. Even Zacharias didn't seem happy, and he was usually delighted in Riley's problems.

Once everyone was there – everyone but Riley, who was in detention – Michael Corner asked aloud, "What do we do, Harry? Is it true that Riley's going to be expelled because of the D.A.?"

"No," Hermione said aloud. "Riley won't be expelled, and neither will any of the rest of us."

All of a sudden, a bunch of questions came out at once, confusing Harry.

"What happened?"

"How did they find out?"

"Do they know about the rest of us?"

"Why isn't she being expelled?"

"Who told on her?"

Harry held up his hands and said loudly, "Guys, be quiet!" Everyone quieted down, and Harry said, "It seems that some of the Slytherins found the equipment that we were using in Riley's trunk." There were several murmurs of surprise, and Harry continued to say, "The Slytherins have probably been watching Riley for a while now because she hasn't acted like most of them. Riley's not a normal Slytherin. No one here can deny that." There were nods and murmurs of consent. Even Zacharias Smith didn't argue with that, but he didn't do anything to verbally agree. Harry continued to say, "Umbridge can't expel Riley before the year is over, but in the meantime, Riley will be having detention every day at five o'clock until the end of the school year."

"That's barbaric!" Susan Bones exclaimed in disbelief.

Harry said solemnly, "Yes, but there's nothing we can do about it."

"We could tell her about us," Terry suggested.

"No," Fred said in a low voice, surprising everyone. They all looked over at Fred as though he was mad, obviously none of them having expected Fred to come to Riley's defense. Fred didn't pay attention to this, but continued to say, "If we talk, we all get detentions. We don't, we can continue with the D.A. and we just be careful to make sure that Umbridge never finds out."

"Since when are _you_ on Riley's side?" Zacharias sneered.

Fred narrowed his eyes hatefully at Zacharias and said, "Look, Zacharias, I'm sick of your shit and blabber, so if you don't want me to beat your ass, then I'd suggest shutting the hell up!" Everyone looked at Fred in surprise, not used to seeing him so furious and loud, and he looked up at Harry and said in a cold, dark voice, "I say we keep going. Riley can handle herself, and she wouldn't want us to sacrifice the D.A. for her."

Harry stared at Fred in surprise, but it wasn't just the outburst of anger. The look in his eyes told him that Fred had talked to Riley already, which Harry found incredible; the first sign that they might patch up their relationship.

Harry hesitated, and then looked back at the others to say, "Fred's right. As much as I hate leaving Riley out in the cold, she knew what she was doing. We all did, and we can't stop now. Riley's a good witch, and she'll find a way to keep practicing. But we can't stop now, we can't give into Umbridge. We just need to keep getting stronger."

"What about Riley?" Hannah Abbot asked worriedly. "Is it true that she had her Prefect's badge taken away?"

Harry sighed and said, "Yes, Hannah, it is."

Harry watched as Anthony Goldstein, Hannah, Padma Patil and Ernie Macmillan all exchanged disbelieving and sad looks, and Harry looked behind him to see Hermione looking just as sad. He knew that it was a sign of dishonor and disappointment to get a Prefect's badge taken away, but he also knew that that was back when Dumbledore had ran Hogwarts. Umbridge was running it now, and she wasn't punishing Riley because she was incompetent, but because she hated her and wanted to make an example out of her. Still, there was nothing that Harry could say to the Prefects to make them feel better about the matter.

Harry looked at everyone and said, "Guys, we have to keep our heads above water on this. Losing Riley was bad, but we have to keep going. She didn't give us away, so we should trust in her judgment to keep going."

"Why doesn't Riley just transfer to another House?" Zacharias asked out of the blue. Fred flinched at the sound of his voice, but Harry realized that Zacharias wasn't being sarcastic or snide, but looked genuinely confused.

There were several murmurs of agreement from around the room, and Hannah agreed by saying, "He's right. I think any of the other Houses would be _happy_ to have her."

There were several nods.

Aria frowned and said from beside George, "Students can only be interchanged between Houses if the Headmaster or Headmistress approves. Even though Dumbledore is _technically_ still in charge, my guess is that Umbridge wants to keep her where she can keep an eye on her, away from the rest of us. After all, Riley is the only one in Slytherin who isn't in that stupid Squad of hers with all of the Slytherin suck-ups. She can have them have an eye on her at all times this way."

"That hag," Dean Thomas said, looking up. "We should run her out of Hogwarts!"

There were several nods and comments of agreement, almost everyone seeming to agree.

Harry shook his head and said, "Not yet. Let's not run to that point just yet." _Though I can't say I disagree_, he thought.

"Then what?" Seamus asked, sounding disappointed.

Harry sighed. "We'll have a meeting next week. Hopefully, Riley will be able to come, but between Quidditch practice, detentions and classes, I don't know if she'll be able to."

"She's still playing Quidditch?" Zacharias asked in surprise. Angelina, Ginny, Katie and Alicia all glared at Zacharias, and Fred stood up in preparation to pummel him, and he raised his hands defensively. "I'm not being sarcastic!" he exclaimed, and they all stopped. He looked at Harry, who had looked annoyed, and he said defensively, "I'm being serious. How is she going to play? I mean, she's a beater, but her hand's going to be beaten to hell, isn't it?"

Harry hadn't thought of that, but only said, "That's up to Riley."

"So, just sit by and watch?" Lavender Brown asked, sounding horrified. "While she gets hurt?"

Harry sighed, feeling completely useless and selfish as he said, "Yeah, we just sit."


	29. Chapter 28: I Am Slytherin

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Twenty-eight: I Am Slytherin

* * *

The next month sped by.

The D.A. continued to work their muscles out working on defensive magic. Riley spent every night, including weekends, with Umbridge. She'd hoped that having her hands ripped to shred would be enough for Umbridge, and she would have the weekends for Quidditch, but the fact was that the only time that Riley had off was Quidditch matches. Any other free time that Riley had, even if it meant coming into Umbridge's class during her free periods and doing her lines at the edge of the class – a method that Riley guessed was to scare other students into not doing anything wrong, or else they might get punished – was for Quidditch practice and games.

Of all of the things that Riley could and couldn't do, she'd managed to continue doing Quidditch. Even though her hand hurt like crazy when she did it, she managed to continue as the team's Beater. She had the feeling that her teammates were just waiting for her to quit, but with the year half-way over, she wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of knowing that they'd gotten to her. She gathered up all of her strength, even though it hurt every time she held onto the bat or hit a Bludger or Quaffle, and she played as best she could. The teammates barely said anything to her during practice, other than calling out commands.

More than anything, Riley found herself missing her friends more and more. She had more people come up to her and try to talk to her or make fun of her for being stupid, but she spent no time with her friends. She did all of her homework after detentions and before she went to bed, which left her with about four hours of sleep every night, and that wasn't including the hours that she sometimes spent throwing up because she was feeling so lightheaded from all of the blood loss. Any food she got at night was from Dobby the House-elf bringing food to her bed in the middle of the night, while everyone else was asleep. Her hours had been thrown off completely, and she felt so strange most days that she felt lucky just to get by.

One month after the detentions started up again, Riley sat in the common room, relaxing for a little while before heading to her next detention. She imagined Easter Break, it was in two weeks, and then she would have three weeks of silence, being able to rest and study while having on classes. She wouldn't be going anywhere, only relaxing here in the common room, completely alone while ever one of the Slytherins went home. It sounded like heaven. No mocking, no teasing, no sneers, only silence. She couldn't imagine anything better.

Riley sat in the common room, grateful for a half hour to soak her hands in the cerium that Hermione had given her two days ago. It was weird to make, but it felt a lot better on her hands than she'd imagined. She never showed her hands to anyone, but wore gloves all of the time. The leather was raw on her hands and hurt badly, but she didn't want anyone hurting Umbridge and getting into even more trouble.

Each night had been like that fourth one, the quill digging in deeper. It hadn't hit the bone since, but Riley knew that the intensity was reflected on her will and Umbridge's. Umbridge didn't hide her annoyance at not being able to get Riley to come forth with the information. She'd tried getting Riley to drink the truth potion, but Riley had refused. That had resulted in another bone-scratching event, but Riley preferred that over the idea of being forced to tell on her friends.

"Riley," a voice said in surprise.

Riley turned her head and saw Draco walking over, a frown on his face.

Riley sighed and looked down, avoiding his gaze. "What do you want?" she asked stiffly, trying to hide her pain.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked, walking over and looking down at the bowl in confusion

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Riley asked, her hands still soaking in the cerium. "My hands are killing me."

Draco walked over, frowning down at Riley, and asked seriously, "Why do you do this to yourself?"

"What, help my hands?" Riley asked, looking up at Draco with an eyebrow raised. "_You_ try going without this stuff."

"Not what I meant," Draco said with a frown. "If you just told Umbridge what she wants to know, this would all be over with."

Riley chuckled and looked down at her hands, then back at Draco as she said, "You don't believe that any more than I do." She saw his eyes shadow over, and she said, "Save your breath, Draco, because I'm not telling Umbridge squat. In fact, my detentions with her involve one word, 'Whatever', so if you think that you can get me to confess to anything, you're very mistaken." She looked back at her hands.

Draco sighed and closed his eyes, struggling to keep his voice calm as he said, "She's not going to let you get away with this, you know?"

"I don't care," Riley said, not looking up at him. "She can do whatever she wants to me, it's not like I'm not ready for her."

"She's got more power than you can imagine," Draco pointed out.

"So I should crumble to her like every other Slytherin has?" Riley asked, setting the bowl down, grabbing a towel and wiping her hands off. She stood up straight and looked at Draco, shaking her head. "I won't do it, Draco, so forget it."

Draco narrowed his eyes and pointed his wand at the bowl. "_Reducto!_" The bowl suddenly shattered all over the carpet, the contents spilling and spreading everywhere. When Riley's eyes widened in alarm, he said, "You can fix the bowl, but the contents are gone now. If I find another one, or any of the ingredients around here, I'll destroy it, too."

"What _the hell_ is your problem, Draco?" Riley demanded angrily.

"You're being stubborn and stupid, _that's_ my problem!" Draco snapped, surprising Riley. "I mean, _seriously_, what does it take to get the point across to you? You're dizzy half of the day from blood loss, your hand is killing you, it's digging into your bones because the detentions are so intense, and you don't sleep at night because it's the only time you get to study. _What does it take?_" He looked furious.

"Why do you want-"

"Because I don't want you to get kicked out of this school," Draco snapped back.

"Don't even pretend that this is about you caring for me," Riley snapped back, her eyes blazing. "You have as much influence over Umbridge as she does over the school. If you wanted her to make these detentions stop or at least ease up, you could have by now."

"You're right," Draco said. "But she's also got the Minister of Magic in her back pocket, and is about five minutes away from getting your ass thrown out of Hogwarts and into Azkaban!"

Riley narrowed her eyes at Draco and said, "My problems with Umbridge are mine, Draco, so unless you want to help me out, I'd suggest _butting out_." With that, she turned to walk away, only to hear Draco behind her.

"What happened to you?" Draco asked, sounding darkly disappointed.

Riley stopped and turned to face Draco, keeping her feet pointed to the side as she turned her upper torso to face him. Her eyes narrowed as she said, "I have been yanked all over and in every direction this year, Draco, between you and Fred, between Slytherin and Gryffindor, between Umbridge and Hogwarts, and I'm sick of it. None of this is about what's _right_ anymore, but about who can play their power the best. I won't let Umbridge get away with her barbaric detentions with anyone other than me. If I have to deal with them, so be it, but I won't let anyone else suffer for them, not when they don't have to."

Draco walked over and said sharply, "To be a real Slytherin, you have to worry about you and your own kind, and no one else."

"I care about my friends and about my House, and I'll do anything to protect my friends," Riley said, narrowing her eyes at Draco. "At one time, I _thought_ that included you."

"It doesn't anymore?" Draco asked, sounding hurt and surprised, though his eyes were still cold.

"When you throw me to Umbridge and the lions because you would rather have the easy way out than do what you know is right," Riley said in a cold voice, "you get kicked off the short list."

Riley started to open one of the doors to get out, only to have Draco slam it shut with a hand and walk right up to her and face her, his hand still on the door. Riley stared right into his eyes, both of their eyes equally cold and challenging.

"What do you want, Draco?" Riley asked, her voice firm and her gaze unbending. "What do you _really_ want?"

"I want _you_," Draco said, looking at Riley calmly.

"You lost me when you abandoned me," Riley said spitefully.

"I can give you everything back," Draco said in a cool voice, his face less than an inch from Riley's. "Your Prefect's badge, your life; I can even get those detentions taken away. All you have to do is stay with us and _become_ one of us. You've done well so far in embracing what it truly means to be a Slytherin, and yet you hold yourself back. Don't hold back anymore. Be who you were literally born to be, and allow yourself to completely embrace your power and destiny." His eyes were filled with intensity as he said, "Come to _me._ Give in completely."

"You seem to have a lot of confidence in your power," Riley said, tilting her head to the side slightly as she looked Draco in the eyes.

"Wake up and smell the air," Draco said coldly. "I can do anything in Slytherin. I _am_ Slytherin."

"Get over yourself," Riley said, suddenly opening the door. "_I'm_ Slytherin. You're just a cheap knock-off." With that, she walked out of the room and down the tunnel. She stopped when she got ten feet away and looked back to see Draco, who was watching her carefully. "By the way," she said in a mock sweet voice. "Tell your father that I _won't_ be coming over for Easter break." With that, she turned on her heel and stormed away.


	30. Chapter 29: The Scars That Won't Fade

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Twenty-nine: The Scars That Won't Fade

* * *

Riley grabbed her backpack with her left hand, only to wince and drop it when a searing pain went through her hand. She looked at her hand, grimacing when she saw that the blood was beginning to dry on the back of her hand. That would mean scabs, which meant pulling them off, and then having them bleed all over again tonight.

Riley hesitated, then picked up the bag with her right hand, pulling it over her head and adjusting it so that it fit right. When she'd returned to the dormitory the first night, several of the Slytherins had been looking at her smugly, no longer having to treat her as a Prefect. Riley had ignored them, only gone upstairs to work on homework. Draco had tried talking to her on several occasions, but in all honesty, Riley had no interest in talking to him, him or anyone else.

It had been a month and three days since she'd been caught by Umbridge. Riley could deal with the pain, but the truth was that it was getting much worse every night, beyond comparison. Suddenly, she longed for the snake's fang that had impaled her last year. That had been quick and deadly. These stupid detentions went on for at least three hours ever night, sometimes longer. She hadn't talked to a single D.A. member since she'd been discovered, even Aria. She had classes with them, but the truth was that she'd barely spoken to a single person since that day. She was partners with Draco in almost every class, but she said nothing to him, simply did all of the work for him and let him get good grades.

Riley walked down the staircase that led out of the girl's dormitory and into the common room. Several first and second years were waiting down there, and when she passed by, they all looked at her sympathetically. Riley had been on good terms with the younger kids all year, but now their minds would be poisoned by Pansy Parkinson, the gigantic cow. She had already started spreading lies, abusing her position as Prefect. Riley could slowly see all of the good that she'd started working in the younger kids, being slowly washed away by bitterness and spite. That was what hurt about having her badge taken away more than anything else, she no longer had the authority to _make_ them listen. Slytherin would once again get away with murder, all because they listened to Umbridge and she refused to.

Riley was almost to the exit of the common room when she heard a snide voice say, "Must have hurt, huh? Falling from your pedestal."

Riley stopped in her place when she heard Pansy's snide voice. She flexed her right hand, struggling not to say anything or do anything she knew she'd enjoy. Riley began to walk forward again when she heard Pansy continue to say, "Of course, you never really belonged there. Now a _true_ Slytherin can take the place of Prefect."

Riley hesitated, wanting with all of her might to prove to Pansy just how true of a Slytherin she _really_ was. There were countless reasons that she could have given that would have shocked Pansy into respect, and facts about herself that would have brought her to her knees, asking for forgiveness; foremost: Riley's lineage. Rona wasn't the only, and if anyone in Slytherin ever found out the truth about the full extent of Riley's lineage, they would treat her as their queen, even after her 'mistakes'. However, Riley knew that this wasn't the time, and that there had been a reason for her keeping the truth a secret after all of this time. She didn't want to risk everything she had protected now. Instead, she remained silent and walked forward, out of the common room.

The truth was that Riley had been hearing similar comments from Slytherins ever since Umbridge had discovered the stash of equipment, but she only ever heard it from a distance. The rest of the school respected her; it was only the Slytherins that mocked her. Still, only Pansy and Draco had the guts to say anything snide to her face. Everyone still feared her too much. At this moment, however, Riley didn't care about what they thought. her hand throbbed and seared, her mind was on fire, and she would have loved nothing more than to curse Pansy right out of the window and watch her fall to the ground and break every bone in her body. The only thing that stopped Riley from taking her anger out on Pansy was the knowledge that it would give Umbridge a reason to expel her, and as much as Riley wanted to get away from Umbridge, she was too determined to keep her promise to Dumbledore to risk getting thrown out now.

Riley walked down the corridor, passing people from all Houses, and stopping with dread when she saw several of the Gryffindors standing in the hallway. Ginny, Hermione and Aria were all standing there, looking concerned and as though they'd been waiting for her. Riley hesitated, and then walked forward, heading away from the castle like she'd already planned on doing, walking away from the castle and down the path that led away from the castle, the girls walking over to stand beside her as she walked.

"Don't ask if I'm all right," Riley said aloud. "I won't answer."

"I wouldn't have dreamed of it," Hermione said with a nod of acceptance. "Having your Prefect's badge must be-"

"Look, will you guys can it about the badge?" Riley snapped angrily. "It's not a matter of life or death, you know?"

Hermione looked taken back, and Aria suddenly grabbed Riley by the arm, twisting her around to face them. Aria's eyes blazed with hurt and annoyance as she said, "You've been avoiding us since the day you were exposed. Why?"

"I have my reasons," Riley said in a low voice.

"We have the right to know," Aria insisted.

"It doesn't matter what rights you do or don't have," Riley said in a matter-of-fact tone as she turned around and began to walk away. "I'm not telling."

"Riley, what's going on?" Aria demanded as she grabbed a hold of Riley's arm, forcing her to a stop."What's wrong?"

"'What's wrong'?" Riley exclaimed, facing Aria with wide eyes. "Are you serious? 'What's wrong' is that I have to watch Draco and Pansy poison the minds of all of the first years because I got caught. I don't care about those damn detentions, or about Umbridge, but I was doing some _good_ in Slytherin; actually getting through to some of those kids, and now..." Her voice trailed off. She frowned, trying to keep her temper down, as she said in a low, spiteful voice, "Stay away from me."

"No," Ginny said, clearly growing annoyed as she spoke defiantly. "I get why you're upset about losing your Prefect's badge, but that doesn't explain why you're avoiding all of us." When Riley didn't say anything, just continued to hold her defiant gaze, Ginny's eyes narrowed and she insisted, "What about Harry? Why haven't you bothered to see him since all of this happened? No matter where you have been in your friendships with anyone else in this school, you two have always remained close, until now. You two are like brother and sister; best friends, and yet you won't even talk to him in class now. You won't even look in his direction or acknowledge his existence. Don't you see that it's hurting him? He feels the worst out of all of us, and you're leaving him out to dry like it's nothing. Don't you care about what's going on with him? You should at least _talk_ to him!"

This hit Riley harder than any insult she had been attacked with all year, because Riley knew just how true it was. Riley hesitated, biting her tongue as she found herself caught between her desire to be honest and the realistic knowledge of why she had a muzzle on her to begin with. Finally, she rolled her eyes and looked away as she muttered under her breath, "Look behind you."

The three girls looked behind them and saw three Slytherins on the hill, their arms folded and looking down. It was Montague, Malfoy and Warrington. The girls looked back at Riley, their eyes filled with confusion. Riley sighed and closed her eyes momentarily as she explained, "Umbridge has secretly ordered that three members of the Inquisitorial Squad keep eyes on me at all times. I'm not supposed to know, but when you have three idiots following you non-stop, you figure it out. If you three, or anyone else from the D.A. hang out with me, you're all putting yourselves in danger of being caught."

"She has them following you?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "Why?"

Riley looked at Hermione through narrowed eyes. "For the same reason that she pointed me out in front of the entire school: to try to sweat you guys out and get you to confess. She wants you guys to come hang around me all of the time and catch me confessing about, _you know_." They all understood. Riley continued to say, "I've been avoiding you guys to keep you all from getting caught, the same reason why I don't want any of you to confess."

Aria's eyes blazed angrily, and RIley could see that her friend was absolutely furious. Never before had Riley been so constrained as she was now. She was practically walking around with chains on her hands and legs, and a muzzle on her mouth. She was the most spirited person that Aria knew, and to have her in this condition was almost as if Umbridge and the Inquisitorial Squad were sucking the life out of her. She looked far from happy, and Aria could see it in Riley's eyes just how much she truly hated the situation she now found herself in. She wasn't even going to try to break free from her binds. She was trapped, and yet had also volunteered herself to be the one that would step into the trap, so that no one else would feel the pain of capture.

"Do you have any time to hang out?" Aria asked hopfeully. "After all, they know that you and I are friends, so that shouldn't raise any red flags. Even if it's just to study, the four of us being together shouldn't raise any suspicion, and it would give us time to spend together."

Riley shook her head and said, "That's not enough. The three of you are still in the D.A., and you're from Gryffindor. I have a few friends in Slytherin that I spend time with, which is enough to keep them from having more than three guards on me, but that's it. If I spend any more time with you guys, things are going to get a lot more difficult for the lot of you. As it is, I have people watching me nonstop. If the three of you - or anyone else, for that matter - start spending time with me, then they'll start following you guys, too. The last thing the D.A. needs is to have Umbridge's eye upon it again. With Umbridge believing that she's got the culprit, she's not spending as much time on you, because all of her effort is on me. Spend time with me and you not only put yourselves at risk, but everyone else in the D.A. Besides, I really don't have any time. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have a class period to myself, which is why I'm out here now. That's all I get, between detentions, classes and Quidditch practice."

"How has the team treated you?" Ginny asked with a frown.

Riley rolled her eyes and said, "Like a traitor, but when we go on the field, they don't treat me like anything except a player. I guess it's the one time of peace I actually have." She held up her left hand and showed them the scars, shrugging as she said, "But then again, when your hand feels like it's on fire, you don't get that much rest."

Ginny and Hermione winced, and Aria looked angry. "Is there anything we can do?" she asked, looking desperate.

"Yeah," Riley said. "Leave me alone." With that, she walked away, down the path alone.

* * *

Draco watched as Riley left her three Gryffindor friends and walked downhill to a bench, where she sat down and began working on homework. Draco narrowed his eyes while watching the other girls come uphill, all of them muttering to themselves and none looking happy.

"Think they were talking about it?" Warrington asked with a frown.

"Definitely," Montague said, "but you know what Umbridge said, we can't get too close."

"Doesn't matter," Draco said, surprising the other two. "They'll show their loyalties soon enough."

"You think?" Montague asked curiously.

"It's almost March," Draco said with a frown. "In a few months, it'll be time for O.W.L.s, Riley will be undergoing brutal detentions, and with any amount of luck, her friends will get so desperate to make her pain stop that they'll come out and show their true colors."

"You're assuming a lot," Warrington said with a frown.

"I'll bet that if Umbridge keeps those detentions going until it's time for O.W.L.s," Draco said with a frown, "That Riley will be in so much pain that the others will run to her."

"It's not like that'll stop the detentions," Montague pointed out.

"True," Draco admitted. "Umbridge hates Riley enough that _nothing's_ going to stop her from having detentions, but I would love to see Potter go through the agony of seeing all of his friends being submitted to Umbridge's detentions."

"What's going on with you and Riley, anyway?" Montague asked, looking at Draco.

"Yeah," Warrington said in agreement. "You two were all but dating earlier this year, what's going on with that?"

Draco shrugged and said, "With any amount of luck, we'll be going out by the end of the year, but first we'll have to break the Slytherin way into her."

Warrington smirked, as did Montague, and he asked, "You think you can do it?"

Draco let out a smile, a smirk on his face as he said, "With Umbridge's help, I'm almost positive."

"She'd make one hell of a Slytherin if she actually wanted it," Warrington said, looking down at Riley, who was flipping through the pages of a book.

"You're right," Draco agreed. "She's already half-way there, now that she's isolated from all of her friends. Losing her Prefect's badge did a lot to her, but we're not quite there yet. She's going to need about another month of detentions before she's ready."

Montague and Warrington laughed maliciously, and Montague said, "You're just like your father, Draco: ruthless and cunning."

Draco smiled and said, "Exactly. That's what'll help me to succeed."

* * *

Riley waited until all of the students in Umbridge's room were gone before she stood up, waiting for Umbridge's instructions to go to her office. Umbridge shook her head when she saw Riley begin to stand up and said, "No, I want you to stay in here today." Riley raised an eyebrow, and Umbridge said with a sick smile, "We're going to do some new lines tonight, more suitable for your case."

Umbridge walked up to Riley, took Riley by the left hand, and waved her wand over the hand. The scratches and scars disappeared, leaving the skin clean and flat. The pain was still there, but the skin had repaired itself completely.

Umbridge walked over and picked up her quill, walking over and handing it to Riley. "Here you go," she said. "I want you to write 'I must not betray the Ministry'."

Riley raised an eyebrow at Umbridge, but said nothing as she accepted the parchment from Umbridge and began to write. She was surprised when Umbridge turned down the light in the room to almost non-existent, and she guessed it was because it would hurt a normal person's eyes to do lines in this lighting. Riley smiled, suddenly glad for her dog-like vision.

Riley began writing 'I must not betray the Ministry' over and over again, feeling the words break through her skin all over again. She bit down, clenching her teeth as she felt her hand seer with pain, as though she was digging the quill right into her skin, over and over again. She didn't stop though. She knew that she couldn't. It was only day four out of five months. She was nowhere near done with these. She had to get used to them, to build up the strength to deal with them.

Riley pictured several faces in her mind: Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Aria, George, and even Fred. She could picture Hannah Abbot, Anthony Goldstein, Padma Patil, Ernie Macmillan, Seamus, Neville, and everyone else in the D.A. She could just imagine them practicing, all standing there looking at her with a smile on their face. The D.A. was working so hard for the school, for themselves, for each other... she couldn't give up. Riley was unaware that the more she thought about the others, the harder she wrote, the faster, and the deeper the quill dug into her hand.

Then, two other faces popped into her mind: her parents. Riley suddenly pictured her parents with their Prefects' badges. She could just imagine them in the hallways, proud and secure, carrying out the duties of Prefects with pride. She could just imagine her mother among the other Slytherins, nothing like them and still doing good for them, showing them that you didn't have to be a stuck-up snob to be a Slytherin.

That did it.

"_Gahh!_" Riley yelled, trying to clamp down her mouth through the loud noise caused by suddenly feeling the quill dig into her bone. She dropped the quill and grabbed at her hand, lowering her hand as she tried not to cry and scream from the pain.

Umbridge smiled sickly, clearly sensing what had happened. She then said simply, "You may go now."

Riley couldn't leave, couldn't even move from the pain. She had grown used to the normal detentions, agonizing, but bearable. This one had been different.

Riley grabbed her bag with her right hand and ran out of the room. She ran down the hallway and down the path that led away from the castle, accidentally slipping and sliding downhill. She stopped on the grass, not even thinking about the slip. She sat up in the grass, huddling over and pulling her left hand against her stomach, lowering her head in pain. She'd felt it; the quill dig into her bone and scratch it. But it was more than that.

Riley could just keep imagining her mother, a Slytherin and confident. Riley couldn't stop the tears as they began to come down her face. She felt so small, so stupid and helpless. _I wasn't good enough,_ she thought. _I couldn't help them. I tried, and I did everything I could, but I wasn't good enough. I'm sorry, Mom! I'm sorry!_

She wasn't as good as her mom. Couldn't even hold a candle to her. She would never be the witch or Prefect that her mom was; would never be a great witch like her. Ever since last year, when she'd seen that first dream, Dumbledore's memory, that had been all she'd wanted; to be like her mom, and to not let her down. Now, she knew that it was impossible. She was a screw-up, would never amount to what her mom was. She'd let her mom down, let the D.A. down by getting caught, and let her friends down. Never before had she felt so helpless and stupid.


	31. Chapter 30: Breakout

A/N: I don't know how many people are actually going to read this after I update it, because I really don't know how many people are really reading these stories these days. However, this particular chapter has changed greatly from what it originally was. It isn't that I've subtracted anything; I've just added to it, and quite frankly, I like it better now. What's happened is that in the last few days (March 29 and 30) I've been going through the chapters and editing them so that the spelling is all correct (at least as much as I can tell and spellcheck can varify) and all of my writing mistakes/quirks are amended. I'm putting together a book of all of the stories/chapters I've written with this series, so that I can read it for myself without going to my computer. I know that it sounds arrogant, but I like to read my own stories. I think that all writers should. :) With this chapter, though, I kind of went to town on changing some things. The fight scene, for example, wasn't originally a part of this chapter, which is something that anyone who rereads this chapter will notice. They will also notice that the last segment of this chapter didn't exist, either. I almost hope that people that have read this will reread it, because I think that the additions make this chapter much better, and make the transition into the next chapter better, as well.

* * *

A/N: I don't know how many people are actually going to read this after I update it, because I really don't know how many people are really reading these stories these days. However, this particular chapter has changed greatly from what it originally was. It isn't that I've subtracted anything; I've just added to it, and quite frankly, I like it better now. What's happened is that in the last few days (March 29 and 30) I've been going through the chapters and editing them so that the spelling is all correct (at least as much as I can tell and spellcheck can varify) and all of my writing mistakes/quirks are amended. I'm putting together a book of all of the stories/chapters I've written with this series, so that I can read it for myself without going to my computer. I know that it sounds arrogant, but I like to read my own stories. I think that all writers should. :) With this chapter, though, I kind of went to town on changing some things. The fight scene, for example, wasn't originally a part of this chapter, which is something that anyone who rereads this chapter will notice. They will also notice that the last segment of this chapter didn't exist, either. I almost hope that people that have read this will reread it, because I think that the additions make this chapter much better, and make the transition into the next chapter better, as well.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Thirty: Breakout!

* * *

When Hermione's_ Daily Prophet_ arrived a few days later, she smoothed it out, gazed for a moment at the front page, and then gave a yelp that caused everyone in the vicinity to stare at her.

"What?" said Harry and Ron together.

For an answer she spread the newspaper on the table in front of them and pointed at ten black and white photographs that filled the whole of the front page, nine showing wizards' faces and the tenth, a witch's. Some of the people in the photographs were silently jeering; others were tapping their fingers on the frame of their pictures, looking insolent. Each picture was captioned with a name and the crime for which the person had been sent to Azkaban.

_Antonin Dolhov,_ read the legend beneath a wizard with a long, pale, twisted face who was sneering up at Harry, _convicted of the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett, and the torture and murder of Thereesa and Jason Hardwick._

"Wait a minute," Ron said, looking confused. "'Theresa and Jason Hardwick'?"

"Dolohov," Aria said bitterly, looking over the boys' shoulders at the pictures.

"You know him?" Harry asked in surprise, looking up at Aria, only to be surprised by what he saw. "Then, does that mean that…"

Aria's eyes were blazing angrily, a darker look on her face than Harry had ever seen before, even the night of the first Quidditch match when she'd yelled at him and Ron. She said bitterly, "That bastard? Yeah, I know him. He's the sick Death Eater who killed my parents; tortured them and forced my dad to kill my mom using the Imperius Curse before he finished my dad off, so as to cause them both agony in their final moments."

"That's terrible!" Hermione exclaimed.

"No kidding," Aria spat. "I would love nothing more than to get myself in a room with that guy and give him a piece of my mind on the subject."

Harry didn't say his thoughts aloud, but he had a feeling – seeing Aria the way she was now – that she could probably give Dolohov a run for his money. He looked back at the next picture and read it.

Augustus Rookwood, said the caption beneath a pockmarked man with greasy hair who was leaning against the edge of his picture, looking bored, _convicted of leaking Ministry of Magic Secrets to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named._

But Harry's eyes were drawn to the picture of the witch. Her face had leapt out at him the moment he had seen the page. She had long, dark hair that looked unkempt and straggly in the picture, though he had seen it sleek, thick and shining. She glared up at him through heavily lidded eyes, an arrogant, disdainful smile playing around her thin mouth. Like Sirius, she retained vestiges of great good looks, but something – perhaps Azkaban – had taken most of her beauty.

_Bellatrix LeStrange, convicted of the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom._

Hermione nudged Harry and pointed at the headline over the pictures, which Harry, concentrating on Bellatrix, had not yet read.

* * *

MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN

MINISTRY FEARS BLACK IS "RALLYING POINT"

FOR OLD DEATH EATERS

* * *

"Black?" said Harry loudly. "Not –?

"Shhh!" whispered Hermione desperately. "Not so loud – just read it!"

* * *

**The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban.**

**Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, confirmed that ten high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening, and that he has already informed the Muggle Prime Minister of the dangerous nature of these individuals.**

**"We find ourselves, most unfortunately, in the same position we were two and a half years ago when the murderer Sirius Black escaped," said Fudge last night. "Nor do we think the two breakouts are unrelated. An escape of this magnitude suggests outside help, and we must remember that Black, as the first person ever to break out of Azkaban, would be ideally placed to help the others follow in his footsteps. We think it likely that these individuals, who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix LeStrange, have rallied around Black as their leader. We are, however, doing all we can to round up the criminals and beg the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached."**

* * *

"There you are, Harry," said Ron, looking awestruck. "_That's_ why he was happy last night..."

"Wait a minute," Aria said, snatching the paper from Harry and the others. She looked it over, flipped back to the front page, and suddenly threw it down, turning to run away, out of the Great Hall.

"Aria?" Harry exclaimed. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, no. No, no, no," Aria stammered as she ran. "Please don't let her have seen it." She turned the hallway, only to slide to a stop when she saw Riley standing in the hallway, staring at the front page of the newspaper. Her eyes were wild with anger, her fingers clamping onto the paper.

"Riley?" Aria asked warily as she came closer.

"They didn't even mention them," Riley muttered. She looked over at Aria, who looked scared, and she yelled aloud and angrily, "She killed them, _and they didn't even mention them!_" She threw the paper to the floor and began walking away. Before Aria could even take a step forward, glass began breaking from windows that Riley passed. She seemed to move in slow motion to Aria, each step causing glass to explode and fly everywhere, making it impossible for Aria to follow.

"Riley, stop!" Aria yelled, suddenly very scared as she was forced to walk backward to evade the glass shards hovering in the air.

But it didn't stop her. Riley continued walking, her fists clenched and her eyes blazing. Glass from every window broke as Riley walked past it, the torches blazing and the portraits crying out in fear, running away from their paintings, only to have them shredded by the flying glass.

Riley was storming down the hallway when Fred, George and Jordan suddenly came around the corner to see Riley coming at them; her eyes narrowed – as though not seeing them at all – and glass exploding from all around them. They instantly froze in their tracks when they saw what was going on, all three feeling genuine fear fill their hearts for a split second. In that split second, they felt as though they were watching a horror movie; one in which an evil watch was walking down the hallway, everything around her exploding without her even raising a finger. The air itself grew unbearably thick, but it wasn't just a matter of heat: the air was _dark_. It was Dark magic literally eradiating from Riley, making it nearly impossible to just remain on one's feet. Worst of all, however, was the darkness in her eyes as she moved forward, not seeing a single person in her path.

"_Woah!_" Jordan yelled, jumping back and out of danger.

"Riley, what's going on?" George asked, confused.

Riley didn't even hear him, only stormed past him, giving George and Fred just enough time to get back before the windows burst on them. Fred then ran up to Riley, grabbed her by the shoulder and yelled, "Riley, what's wrong?"

Riley suddenly spun around and pointed her wand at Fred. He was hit with a spell that sent him flying backward against the far wall. He groaned as he hit the wall, only to look up at her and see her glaring at him spitefully, as though caught in some sort of trance, and she stormed off, not saying a word.

"_Fred!_" Aria yelled, running down the hall to Fred's side. George ran over as well, both kneeling down beside him.

"What, what happened?" Fred moaned, rubbing the back of his neck, which throbbed horribly. "What did I do now?" He wasn't even angry now, nor did he care about the past. It was as though in that single moment, his feud with Riley had disappeared, and he was as concerned and confused about her as he had ever been. "I know that I've pissed her off, but that was…" He looked at Aria through eyes narrowed knowingly as he said, "Something happened, didn't it? Something's gone wrong."

"You're right. It's not you," Aria insisted, shaking her head. "It's Bellatrix LeStrange."

"The witch who's just broken out of Azkaban?" Fred asked, confused. "What's that –" His eyes widened as he remembered his conversation with Riley at the beginning of the year. "Oh, no," he said knowingly. "She's the one who killed Riley's parents."

"_What?_" George asked in surprise and alarm, looking between the two.

"Along with Voldemort, yes, she killed them," Aria said, nodding to Fred and ignoring George. "And now she's out, killing again, no doubt. The _Daily Prophet_ didn't even mention Riley's parents having been killed by Bellatrix. I don't know which set her off more, but I haven't seen her _this_ angry since this summer, and even _that_ didn't even compare to this. She's going to break everything glass and set a bunch of stuff on fire if we don't calm her down." She turned to George and said, "Can you repair these windows?"

"Before Umbridge finds out?" George asked uneasily. He sighed and nodded as he said, "I'll do my best. You go after her and try to stop her before she actually runs into Umbridge. She might just kill the woman."

"Thanks," Aria said with a nod to George. "Come on, Fred."

"Why me?" Fred asked, confused. "She doesn't even like me right now."

Aria ignored him and ran off. Fred hesitated, then followed her, not knowing what else to do. Aria had been right, Riley could – and in this condition, would – do some major damage that would make what she had done up until now seem like nothing. As they headed up the stairs, Fred saw that most of the windows had been busted, and he could only imagine the hours of work it was going to take to repair all of this. All of the portraits were empty and/or shredded by glass, but not as bad as the ones downstairs. They would have to be replaced, which would make Umbridge mad.

Aria and Fred ran up the stairs and found Riley at the opening to the Slytherin room, her wand clutched in her left hand, ignoring the pain that Fred knew she must be feeling from her hand. She hadn't gripped anything in the last few weeks because of the pain the detentions had caused, but now... it was as though she didn't feel any pain at all.

"Riley!" Fred yelled.

Riley turned her head, her soulless eyes connecting with Fred's once again. She raised her wand again, clearly intending to finish off her previous job.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Aria yelled, pointing her own wand at Riley before Riley could cast a spell, as though having expected this. The wand went flying before Riley could speak or think.

"Don't try to stop me, Aria," Riley said loudly in a dark voice. "I'm going to kill her. I _swear_ I will."

Aria drew closer and said, "It's been thirteen years, Riley. _Enough!_"

"No," Riley said, shaking her head. "It's not enough. I've been training for it, _preparing_ for it. I'm not going to let her hurt anyone else."

"Riley," Fred said as he drew nearer. "Stop this. You can't hurt anyone."

"Don't even _try_ coming near me, Fred," Riley said in a warning tone. "Or so help me, I'll blast you through that wall." With that, she began to raise her right hand, the air around it shifting with incredible power, even with her wand more than ten feet away.

Aria suddenly lashed out with her wand again, sending a spell through the air that hit Riley hard in the chest and immediately brought her to her knees. "_Aria!_" Fred exclaimed in shock.

Aria didn't respond, but ran over to Riley's side. She knelt down beside Riley, reaching out to help her, only to receive the surprise of her life a moment later. Without any warning, Riley struck out with her hand and hit Aria across the face, knocking Aria backward. Riley then leapt to her feet, Aria staggering to her feet just in time to turn around and see Riley come at her. Aria barely had time to prepare her defense. Just as Riley punched at her with an abrupt attack, Aria raised her arm, which collided with Riley's. Knowing Riley's style of fighting all too well, Aria prepared her next movement immediately, aware that Riley wouldn't hesitate for even a second. Sure enough, she thrust her other hand forward, knocking Riley's second punch to the side. Riley immediately kicked upward and hit Aria in the stomach, knocking her back with just enough force to put distance between them. Aria managed to bite her way through the pain, jumping into the air and kicking upward as she aimed for Riley's face. Unfortunately, Riley was prepared and managed to knock Aria's foot to the side before her foot came within reach of Riley's face. However, the attack didn't knock Aria off of her balance, but she instead managed to land on the ground with skill and return to her fight.

Fred watched the fight in disbelief, barely able to believe what he was seeing. Right now, Riley and Aria – best friends that had known each other their entire lives – were locked in hand-to-hand combat that was clearly not choreographed. They were fighting one another, Riley with the intention to harm and Aria with the intention to do anything to knock sense into Riley, even if it meant harming Riley in return. What shocked Fred to his core was that after watching the two fight for just a few moments, it became shockingly clear that this wasn't the first time that they had fought. Fred had never thought that Aria was much of a physical fighter, but watching her now, she seemed completely different. While Riley was clearly trained and knew what she was doing, it was also clear that Aria had become more than trained as a defensive fighter, which led Fred to wonder just how many times Aria had been forced into this situation: fighting Riley off when she began to spiral out of control. That left Fred wondering just how much about their pasts he really didn't know yet. Even worse, he realized that at this moment, Riley didn't look like herself. Her eyes had turned almost completely grey, and she literally looked possessed, as though she was no longer in control.

The fight took a terrifying turn when Riley pushed Aria just far enough away that she was able to hold her right hand back. Fred saw the air shift around her hand once again, though it lasted for only a second before Riley thrust her hand forward, aiming it directly at Aria. What happened next shocked Fred, but only for a moment. He saw a blast of energy shoot from Riley's hand and hit Aria square on, sending her flying for more than twenty feet down the hallway before she hit the ground hard. She couldn't stop a yell of pain from escaping her lips this time, her neck arched back as she gripped at her broken ribs.

Fred's shock only lasted for a moment. He couldn't focus on the obvious skill Riley had for wandless magic, a skill that could only have come from a great deal of experience. Instead, he rushed forward the moment he saw Aria hit the ground and yell, and he ran toward Riley while she lowered her hand. Clearly blind to his movements, Riley was unprepared for when Fred ran at her, pointing his wand at her legs while he yelled, "_Homenum Revelio!_"

Riley wasn't prepared for when her legs collapsed beneath her. She let out a gasp as her body fell forward to the ground. Fred slid to his knees in front of Riley, grabbing a hold of her arms and forcing her to look up at him. When she did, he saw that the color was returning to her eyes as she regained control of herself and her mind. He felt a wave of relief, but realized that the danger was far from over. What horrified him even more was when he noticed something dark and red out of the corner of his eyes, and he looked down to see that her stomach was stained with blood, something that he hadn't noticed until now. He realized then and there that Aria's first attack to bring Riley to the ground had been an attack that had created a large and deep gash in Riley's stomach. However, he couldn't pay attention to her injuries right now. His attention had to be elsewhere: on Riley's eyes. Holding her gaze and talking to her now was the only way to stop her from getting up again.

"_Riley, stop!_" Fred yelled in a clear command, looking Riley in the eyes as she looked up at him.

"She killed them," Riley said quietly, her eyes shaking as she looked at Fred. Her eyes weren't possessed-like or even soulless anymore. They were her normal eyes, overwhelmed with emotion and trembling. "She killed them!"

"I know she did," Fred said, his voice just loud enough for Riley to hear and yet still firm. "But you can't do anything about that now. You have to stop this."

"I can't," Riley said, shaking her head and lowering it.

"Riley, _stop!_" Fred said, yanking harder on her wrists.

Fred suddenly heard Riley break out into sobs, but he didn't dare let go of her wrists. "She killed them," Riley cried. "And no one will ever know... She burned them... alive... and no one will know..."

Fred didn't move, just sat there while Riley leaned her bent head against his chest and cried. He didn't talk, didn't hold her, just held tightly onto her wrists and let him continue crying.

* * *

That night, Fred felt completely rattled and confused. He was standing in the Gryffindor tower, at the very top and looking out the window at the darkness. He'd changed since dealing with Riley earlier that day. She'd been sent to the hospital wing for her stomach after she'd stopped crying, after Aria had apologized for attacking her. Then Fred and Riley had returned to help George repair all of the windows, though they had to lie and say that the shredded paintings were their idea of a joke, which had cost them both a week of detentions, not that Umbridge seemed very upset. Now, Fred was standing in the tower, alone, and wracking his brain around everything that had happened that day.

Fred couldn't imagine feeling more confused. He and Riley had been fighting for the past four months, not getting along at all, and then today had happened. Holding her and stopping her from doing anything, it hadn't been much, but it had made him feel connected to her, made him feel for her again. She'd sacrificed herself for the D.A., and it had taken _this_ to get him to realize just how much he missed her.

"Fred," a cold voice said from behind him.

Fred looked down and saw Ginny walking up the steps toward him. "Ginny," he said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to talk to you," Ginny said. "It's about Riley."

Fred frowned, looking away as his mind returned to the events that had taken place earlier that day. His mind returned to his conflicting emotions of holding Riley in his arms, and thinking the thoughts that he had been thinking ever since. "I don't want to talk about her," was all he said, his voice empty and unrevealing.

"Too bad," Ginny said impatiently. "We're going to, whether you want to or not, so you might as well cooperate."

Fred didn't say anything, only looked away in silence.

Ginny's eyes blazed. "One of my best friends has been hurt badly and I'm ready to hurt you for it."

"She lied to me," Fred snapped, anger boiling in him.

"Oh, that's a bunch of bologna and you know it!" Ginny exclaimed. "She's never lied to you."

"She lied to me about being on the Quidditch team," Fred said as he looked at Ginny, his eyes narrowed.

Ginny frowned. "She didn't lie. You never asked her. She told you she wanted to try out."

"But she didn't tell me she was _on_ the team," Fred pointed out.

"So _what_?" Ginny exclaimed. She frowned. "It's not the fact that she's on the Slytherin team that bothers you. I saw your face during that Quidditch match, and I saw how you responded to Malfoy's comments." She sighed. "You're afraid that she might be in love with Malfoy," she hesitated, then added, "Because _you're_ in love with _her_."

Fred froze and his eyes grew huge. He opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out.

Ginny's eyes filled with fury as she demanded, "And does jealousy even matter right now? You saw what she was like today, and just how unstable she really is. You went to her, behaving like the friend to her that you really are and want to be. Don't you see how much you depend on her, and how much she depends on you? Why can't you just focus on that rather than the stupid details that you two don't agree on?" When Fred looked away, Ginny's eyes blazed even further. "How can you expect her to want you as a boyfriend when you refuse to accept her mistakes as just a friend? Even if she was interested in Malfoy – which she's not, might I add, and I have plenty of proof on why that is –" Fred looked at her in surprise, but he didn't get to ask her for an explanation because she continued to say, "- why would she want to be with you rather than him if you're going to make her choose between friends? How can you expect someone to want to be with you if you can't even be there for her as a friend, and accept your differences? How would the two of you ever make it as a couple? Now, what you need to do is admit your mistakes and accept that you two are not different, but compatible. Until you can confront her and tell her in person that you want her, and that you know that you were wrong, you two will. Trust me, she's not waiting to boast about superiority; she knows that she's made mistakes, too. However, _you_ have to be the one to make the first step, because if today proved nothing else, she's been hurt too much to ever dare take that chance of rejection. She's already been damaged too much."

Ginny frowned, realizing that she was on the verge of a breakthrough, but not quite there yet. "Fred, what was your patronus?"

Fred swallowed hard as he looked away, but he didn't answer.

Ginny frowned even more, already knowing the answer. "Fred, show me your patronus."

"No," Fred said.

"_Fred!_" Ginny said more firmly.

Fred sighed, closing his eyes as he realized that his sister wasn't going to drop the issue. He pulled out his wand and pointed it down the steps. He closed his eyes and thought about the Yule Ball once again, and then opened them as he said, "_Expecto Patronum!_"

There was a blast of light and a silver wolf leapt from the tip of the wand. Ginny nodded, confirming her suspicions as the wolf disappeared and an embarrassed look spread over Fred's face.

"Why do you insist on being mad at her?" Ginny asked, sounding desperate, exhausted and confused.

Fred lowered his head. "It doesn't matter," he muttered. "She's going out with Malfoy now, even after what he did to George, Harry and me at the Quidditch match."

"First of all," Ginny began, sounding irritated. "She's gotten more grief for not quitting the team, and staying in Slytherin than you got for hitting her. She's been isolated in her House, no one will even talk to her. Pansy and Malfoy have seen fit to make her completely miserable."

"But why-" Fred began, confused.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "She's not going out with him," she said impatiently in a groan. Fred looked at her in surprise. Ginny continued and explained. "She went on one date with him because of what happened with you, but has refused to go out with him since." She frowned. "And as to the Quidditch thing, that's the reason she refuses to go out with him again. He was a total jerk, and hasn't stopped since. She wasn't going to go out with him because of that stupid song they wrote about Ron, let alone what he said about you and Harry and our family. Plus," she said, hesitating. "Lucius Malfoy wrote a letter to her."

"So?" Fred asked.

Ginny frowned and let out a sigh. "I read the letter. Lucius Malfoy offered Riley one hundred Galleons per broom for thirty-five brooms if she would accompany Malfoy to their house over he had been hit with a sludge hammer. "She _refused_ him?"

Ginny nodded. "Fred, I realize that you're a boy, and therefore naturally stupid, but you have been blinder than a bat to not see that Riley really likes you." She frowned. "You really hurt her."

"I didn't mean to," Fred said defensively.

Ginny narrowed her eyes and said. "Yes you did, all because you got scared."

Fred hesitated, and then asked, "Why are you doing this, Ginny? I know she's your friend, but why are you doing this?"

Ginny frowned. "I know how it feels to have the person you care about not feel the same way and unintentionally hurt you. I just don't want to see my brother do that to one of my best friends." With that, she turned and walked out of the tower, leaving Fred alone.

* * *

By some miracle, George and Jordan managed to clean up the hallways before Umbridge or any of the teachers discovered what had happened. The students had seen Riley yell angrily, but no one other than Aria, George, Lee, and Fred had seen and knew the full extent of what Riley had done, and Aria had already threatened George and Lee into silence (using two completely different methods). Meanwhile, Fred and Aria had agreed to keep the situation quiet, so that no one would discover what had happened. These days, there was no telling what was going on within Slytherin House. The only proof that anyone had that things were going badly was that Riley had been betrayed to Umbridge, and if Umbridge felt that there was a Dark witch in the school, she would undoubtedly expel Riley, which was the last thing that anyone from _any_ House wanted.

Aria was able to get to her feet and go with Fred to take Riley to the hospital wing. She had cried so much and exhaustion had swept over her that she literally fainted. At the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey was horrified to find that Riley had been injured, but hesitantly agreed to buy the explanation that it had simply been a spell gone awry. She then healed Riley's stomach wound and bruises, along with Aria's ribs, but informed Fred and Aria that Riley would have to awaken from her unconscious state on her own time. Aware that she needed to keep up pretenses in order to satisfy everyone that everything was all right, Aria went to dinner with Fred, although the entire section of the table was deadly silent. George and Lee didn't dare to speak of what had happened, nor did Fred and Aria. All four were thinking about the same thing, but none said anything. Meanwhile, Harry sensed that something bad was going on, and he guessed that it had to do with Riley, but he could also sense that the situation was serious enough that he shouldn't ask now. He would ask later, when the tension had eased slightly.

As soon as dinner was done, Aria raced to the hospital wing and found that Riley was sitting on the edge of her bed, pulling her jacket on over her shoulders, since Madam Pomfrey had been forced to take it off so that she could work on Riley. Now, Riley's eyes were distant and unemotional, but there was nothing else about her to suggest that she was returning to her former Dark self. Aria found this as a relief.

Aware that the last thing they needed was for a rough start to the conversation, Aria forced a smile to her face and said teasingly, "It's been a while since we've been locked in a hand-to-hand battle."

Riley looked up at Aria, clearly not having realized that she had company. Riley's eyes were filled with exhaustion, and she managed a small smile as she said, "Yeah, well, I guess it's a good thing that your skills haven't gotten rusty. If they had, you would have been in some serious trouble."

"Don't I know it?" Aria teased as she folded her arms and shifted all of her weight to one side. "I had to learn three different types of martial arts just to _keep up_ with you when you go on those sorts of tangents. The scary thing is that I _know_ that I'm not a better fighter than you." She narrowed her eyes at Riley as she pointed out, "You keep this up, and people are going to start thinking that you're too big of a bad ass for your own good."

Riley scoffed, rolling her eyes as she muttered under her breath, "Yeah, right. There's nothing bad ass about losing your sanity and switching back and forth between good and Dark magic." She let out a sigh as she leaned her head back, closing her eyes as she groaned quietly. "Too many times, I've crossed that line and found myself lingering in limbo."

Aria grinned as she gently nudged Riley with her elbow and pointed out, "I guess it's a good thing that you have me around, then, huh? I'm always here to pull you back."

Riley managed a small smile as she nodded. She looked down as she said, "Yeah, I'm incredibly lucky to have you around. You really are my anchor, Aria. You're the one thing that always keeps me tethered to this side, rather than just falling down into that deep, dark hole that I constantly find myself bordering."

Aria's eyes filled with sympathy as she said, "Riley, you're haunted by a past that would give anyone nightmares every single night, because it's so dark and complex. No one could blame you for going on a rampage once in a while, because you manage to bottle it up so much _most_ of the time."

"My past isn't all that different from yours," Riley pointed out as she looked at Aria through narrowed eyes filled with displeasure. "The biggest differences are that you were raised in a decent home even after your parents died and you weren't treated like dirt, but that isn't an excuse for me turning out the way that I have. Lots of kids in Muggle foster homes have crappy starts to their lives, but that doesn't mean that they become psychotic killers, and I sometimes feel like that's what I'm becoming." She hesitated before looking down and saying, "You and I both know that isn't the first time that I've lost my mind because of my emotions and started throwing my not-so-pleasant magic around like I'm Isis, Queen of the Underworld." When she looked up, it was to say, "You should never have to be that anchor for me, or to have to learn how to become as strong as you have had to become, just because you feel that you have to be there to pull me back. I've asked more of you than anyone should ever ask of anyone." She scoffed before saying, "The _biggest_ difference between you and me is the choices that I've _allowed_ myself to make, and choices that you've _refrained_ from making. I've allowed my emotions to get the best of me too many times, and they've sent me over the edge just as often. _You've_ managed to stay true to your moral compass, whereas I feel like I dropped it a lot time ago on the highway to Hell."

"That's not true," Aria said adamantly as she narrowed her eyes sternly. "You are an incredibly powerful and talented witch, and that has nothing to do with you using Dark magic. No, you shouldn't have made some of those decisions that you made, and yes, I did try to stop you along the way. However, when I decided to follow you and act as your moral compass and anchor, I knew what I was getting msyelf into. I knew what would happen, and just how much I would be risking and putting on the line. No, I didn't know the details, but I made a commitment; a commitment that I haven't once regretted having made. That's what being a true friend is: it's not hanging around for as long as a relationship is beneficial, and then bolting; it's sticking around through the tough times, and doing absolutely anything to bring you back from that line, even if you've gone far beyond it. I would do _anything_ for you, Riley, and I _hope_ that I've proved that over the years. As for your moral compass," she said as she narrowed her eyes even further, "I _know_ that you haven't lost it. You're one of the most emotional people I know, but you also have a very strong sense of justice, and that wouldn't be possible if you didn't have a moral compass. Just like I know that you may try to kill me when you're on one of your rampages, I also know that you would be willing to kill anyone that tried to harm me. I know that for all of the Darkness in you, there is even more Light, and no matter how the two are measured, I'll always be there by your side to pull you back toward the Light."

A moment of silence followed, and Riley managed a small smile as she raised an eyebrow up at Aria. "Since when are you so good at speech making?"

Aria grinned from ear to ear, her eyes filling with amusement as she said, "I am truly an unusual person, something that people always underestimate and undervalue. Just when you think you have me figured, I guarantee that I will find a way to surprise you. You and I are very much alike in that manner."

Riley just smiled even more as she stood up and wrapped Aria in a hug. "Thank you," she whispered quietly, just loudly enough for Aria to hear. "For everything.

"No problem," Aria said as she pulled back, setting her hands in her pockets. She narrowed her eyes knowingly as she asked, "How are things going with you these days, anyway? It feels like forever since we've really talked."

Riley opened her mouth to speak, only to freeze when she caught sight of movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked past Aria, her heart stopping when she saw that Fred was standing just inside of the doorway to the hospital wing. Aria looked behind her when she saw the expression on Riley's face, her own eyes filling with surprise.

"Fred," Aria said with interest. "What're you doing here?"

Fred hesitated before admitting, "Same as you, I suspect. Just wanted to make sure that Riley was all right, after everything that happened." It was obvious that he was less than comfortable.

"I am," Riley responded, equally uncomfortable. "Thanks for coming to check up on me."

A moment of awkward silence followed, and it was broken when Aria said slowly, "Okay, now I'm going to get out of here and give you two a chance to get this out of your system." She looked at Riley and said, "I'll see about catching up with you tomorrow, and you can answer that last question of mine." She then took off, not giving Riley a chance to respond.

Once they were alone, Riley and Fred found themselves in a truly unbearable silence. Riley finally broke it by saying slowly, "I want to thank you for coming after me today, especially after I attacked you." Fred's eyes flickered in surprise, and he watched as Riley looked away in embarrassment and said, "You had no reason to choose to come after me, but instead had every right to hate me for attacking you without cause. Still, you came with Aria, and you helped pull me out of my rage. Thank you, and I'm very sorry."

Fred hesitated, overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions as his mind went back to his conversation with his sister. All he could think of were the words that she had said, and all of the thoughts that he had had before she had shown up earlier that night. He thought of all the emotions that he had felt since meeting Riley, including the feelings of jealousy and betrayal that had plagued his mind and heart so much recently. Now, however, there was only one feeling that dominated his essence. He had never felt so far away from Riley, and yet wanted to be near her so badly. Still, there were only three words he could think of at this moment, and it took all of his strength to say them, because he knew just how much they really meant.

"So am I."

Riley looked up at Fred, her eyes wide in shock, but she never got the explanation that she wanted. All she saw was the sincerity in his eyes, which lasted for no more than a moment before he closed his eyes and turned to walk out of the hospital wing, leaving Riley behind in silence and wonder.


	32. Chapter 31: The Quibbler's Headline

A/N: No comments? No reviews? How sad. ::sulks and drops tiger ears sadly:: Even my dedicated reviewer, Snoball, seems to have abandoned me. ::Perks up and points tiger ears up happily, smiling stupidly:: oh well, hopefully you guys will find something to review about before the next book comes. I'm kinda curious about how many of my readers are actually continual readers from my last story, because I have quite a few hits from the last story, but not a ton on this one. It's kinda sad, but I'm hoping that I continue to get hits on this story. I mean, I've only got a little over 1500 hits so far, and we're already on chapter thirty-one. I guess it could be because I've put this one out so fast, but it's still kinda sad when I've got over 9,000 on my first one. Anyway, please read and let me know what you think. ::waves tail happily:: And on we go!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Thirty-one: The Quibbler's Headline

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Out of a need to make things look as though nothing was unusual, Riley was back on her feet and in class the next day. If nothing else had come from her extensive history with psychotic breaks, Riley had learned how to become an A-class actress, which allowed her to pretend as though everything was good in the world, even when she felt emotionally drained and on the verge of breaking. Aria made sure to stay near Riley more these days, to help her come back strong and not lose herself to her emotions again. George found himself spending more time with Riley, as well, behaving as a supportive friend without asking too many questions or risking prodding any sore spots. To her regret, Riley's extremely short conversation, however, with Fred was the last that she was to have for several weeks. This kept her from being able to become genuinely happy, and instead kept her wondering exactly what Fred had meant, and what was going on inside of his head these days. However, something happened that put Riley in genuinely good spirits for the first time in ages.

Harry's expose in _The Quibbler_ came out.

Riley couldn't help but smile as she looked down at the article in_ The Quibbler_. She'd heard all of it before, of course, when she'd talked to Harry, but someone seeing it in print and with Harry's picture there made it so much more enjoyable. It wasn't enjoyable because of the story itself, but because of the image that came to mind when the people involved in the story finally got a hold of a copy. She could just imagine the faces of Umbridge, Draco and his friends when they finally got copies of this. By the fact that no one was saying anything, it was clear to Riley that they hadn't read it yet.

There were several murmurs from around the common room as people passed through. Riley saw a first-year named Adrien Bistus, walk by with a second-year named Alicia, both girls giggling as they looked down at their copy of the _Daily Prophet_. The two girls were two of the few Slytherins that genuinely respected Riley, and that Riley considered real friends. They weren't even afraid enough for their social lives to stop from seeing her, which was rare, considering the gap between their years and difference in classes. When they could, though, the girls spent time with their older friend. At this particular moment, Riley felt equally happy as the girls. Riley, for the first time in her life, had more interest in _The_ _Quibbler_ than the _Daily Prophet_, which was a sad statement in and of itself.

Riley suddenly heard the sound of heavy footsteps and a huge smirk suddenly came to her face, unable to hide them. Somehow, between the footsteps and the magazine, Riley didn't even feel the pain in her hand.

"Riley, you'd better get ready for breakfast," Draco said as he walked behind Riley with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Oh, I'm ready to leave at any time," Riley said, unable to keep the smile out of her voice. "I was just choosing to sit here and enjoy myself."

Draco rounded on Riley, his friends behind him as they looked at her in surprise and confusion. "What are _you_ so happy about?" Draco asked, sounding surprised. "Find more ingredients to help your hand?"

"More or less," Riley said with a smile. "But it's nothing that I can mix together in a potion."

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, his eyes narrowed in confusion.

Riley just smiled and said, "Your boss isn't going to be in a good mood today, let's just say that."

Draco stared at Riley suspiciously and asked in a slow, knowing tone, "_What did you do?_"

Riley raised an eyebrow up at Draco, her smile still not fading, and she said, "It's not what _I_ did. It's what _your dad_ did." She looked at the two boys behind Draco and said, "What _all_ of _your_ dads did." When Draco seemed even more confused, Riley chucked one of her two copies of _The Quibbler_ to Draco, having left the other upstairs to preserve and keep from danger or confiscation.

Draco caught the magazine and looked down at the cover. His eyes widened in alarm and he looked between Riley and the paper. Riley, whose feet were propped up on the coffee table in front of her, her arms folded in her lap while she stared smugly up at him, said nothing. Draco began to read, only for his eyes to grow wilder as he got further down the page. Riley stood up, fully satisfied, and she walked by them, saying smugly, "Still hungry?" She laughed as she walked out, fully confident and feeling happier than she'd felt all year.

Riley practically skipped down to breakfast, not even bothered by the stinging in her hand. In fact, she barely felt it. She walked into the Great Hall to see Umbridge standing near the Gryffindor table, a copy of _The Quibbler_ in her hands. Riley leaned against the doorway and watched, her arms folded and an eyebrow raised in amusement. She saw Umbridge's face turn several shades of red and purple, and then she asked, "When did you do this?"

"Last Hogsmeade weekend," Harry responded carelessly.

Umbridge looked up at him, incandescent with rage; the magazine shaking in her stubby fingers. "There will be no more Hogsmeade trips for you, Mr. Potter," she whispered. "How dare you... how could you..." She took a deep breath. "I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies. The message, apparently, has still not sunk in. fifty points from Gryffindor and another's week's worth of detentions." She stalked away, clutching _The Quibbler_ to her chest, the eyes of many students following her.

Umbridge walked right up past Riley and she stopped when she saw Riley's smug look. "Did _you_ know anything about this?" she demanded, looking at Riley.

"No," Riley admitted. "But I'm not too put off by it, if that's what you mean."

"Hmph!" Umbridge said as she stormed off down the entrance hallway.

"Sorry!" Riley yelled after Umbridge. "I thought you didn't want me to tell lies!" Once she was done, she turned her head and saw the other Gryffindors laughing at her, along with some of the Slytherins (who couldn't deny the humor in her words) and she couldn't help but laugh also, thoroughly enjoying the morning.

* * *

By mid-morning enormous signs had been put up all over the school, not just House notice boards, but in the corridors and classrooms, too. They were all notices informing student and faculty that anyone caught with a copy of _The Quibbler_ would be expelled. Riley had slipped hers in a shrunken form underneath her bed, since apparently her trunk was up for inspection nowadays, something Pansy took full advantage of.

When Riley and her Gryffindor friends went down the hallway toward Herbology, they stopped by one of Umbridge's hideous decree posters and Riley noticed Hermione smiling.

"What exactly are you so happy about?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Oh, Harry, don't you see?" Hermione breathed. "If she could have done one thing to make absolutely sure that every single person in the school will read your interview, it was banning it!"

Hermione was right. In every class Riley had that day, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Arithmacy, seventh-year Charms and Herbology, Riley heard people muttering among themselves. Some kids had even come up to ask Riley questions, considering that she was friends with Harry and had been involved in the TriWizard Tournament. None of the teachers could say anything, of course, but they made their feelings very well known. Riley had been in Arithmacy when the teacher had given her and Hermione twenty points for answering a basic question correctly, all because they were friends with Hermione. The two girls had spent plenty of time smiling over that one during the day.

What made Riley happiest, though, was when she saw Seamus and Harry talking again. Seamus looked embarrassed, and Riley could only hope that he would be joining the D.A., because she knew that he could be a good asset and could learn a lot. She'd partnered with Seamus during a Potions lesson earlier during the year when both of their partners were sick, and she'd learned just how much he did and didn't know. He had a lot to learn, and being in the D.A. could help with that.

Thanks to George, Riley knew that Gryffindor was hosting a party for Harry later that night. He slipped her another copy of the magazine, along with three Butterbeers in celebration. Riley had thanked him for it before returning to her room.

The next day, the worst thing imaginable happened – or at least the most unbearable – when Umbridge showed yet another form of her 'great' power. Riley was coming out of the library with Hermione and Ginny, discussing their Potions essays, when they heard a woman screaming.

Riley and her friends raced out into the entrance hall. They stopped when they reached the stone steps leading up from the dungeons. When they reached there, Riley saw students beginning to gather all around. Riley's eyes widened when she recognized McGonagall standing in the center of the stone area, and Professor Trelawney in the center, totally unkempt and almost mad. Her trunks were sitting out there with her, and she looked almost terrified. She was staring at someone, and as Riley followed her gaze, hate welled up inside of her once again as she recognized Umbridge, there in her fluffy pink cardigan and horrid smirk.

"No!" Trelawney shrieked. "NO! This cannot be happening... It cannot... I refuse to accept it!"

"You didn't realize this was coming?" Umbridge asked loudly in disbelief.

"What's going on?"

Riley turned her head and saw Harry running up, panting as he pulled himself to a stop. "Trelawney and Umbridge," she whispered. "I think Trelawney's getting sacked."

Harry's eyes widened, only for Riley's suspicions to be confirmed as Umbridge continued.

"Incapable though are you of predicting even tomorrow's weather, you must surely have realized that your pitiful performance during my inspections, and lack of any improvements, would make it inevitable you would be sacked?"

"You c-can't!" howled Trelawney, tears streaming down her face from behind her enormous lenses, "You c-cant sack me! I've b-been here for sixteen years! H-Hogwarts is m-my h-home!"

"It _was_ your home," said Professor Umbridge.

Riley felt rage boil inside of her to an all-time peak at the enjoyment on Umbridge's face. It just reminded her of how much she hated the woman, of how much she wanted her gone.

Umbridge continued to say, "Until an hour ago, when the Minister of Magic countersigned the order for your dismissal. Now kindly remove yourself from this hall. You are embarrassing us."

Riley reached back for her wand, wanting nothing more than to curse that woman right out of Hogwarts. Harry grabbed onto her hand and whispered, "No, you can't." Riley knew he was right, but as she watched Trelawney, she couldn't imagine why not.

Lavender and Parvati were both crying silently, their arms around each other. Hope rose in Riley as McGonagall had broken away from the spectators, marched straight to Trelawney, and was patting her firmly on the back while withdrawing a large handkerchief from within her robes.

"There, there Sibyll," McGonagall said soothingly. "...Calm down... Blow your nose on this... It's not as bad as you think, now... You are not going to have to leave Hogwarts..."

Riley smiled proudly at McGonagall. She was, in fact, Riley's favorite teacher, one of the few teachers Riley had who she didn't take pleasure out of making miserable or angry. She respected the woman, and this was one of the reasons why.

"Oh, really, Professor McGonagall?" asked Umbridge in a deadly voice, taking a few steps forward. "And your authority for that statement is..."

"That would be mine," said a deep voice.

Riley's eyes brightened with joy as she recognized the voice. The oak front doors had swung open. Students beside them scuttled out of the way as Dumbledore appeared in the entrance. He rushed down to where Trelawney was, tearstained and trembling, McGonagall doing all she could to control the woman.

"Yours, Professor Dumbledore?" said Umbridge with a singularly unpleasant laugh. "I'm afraid you do not understand the position. I have here," – she pulled a parchment scroll from within her robes – "an Order of Dismissal signed by myself and the Minister of Magic. Under the Terms of Education Decree Number Twenty-three, the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts has the power to inspect, place upon probation, and sack any teacher she – that is to say, I – feel is not performing to the standard required by which the Ministry of Magic. I have dismissed her."

"Try the Ministry of Stupid," Riley muttered, and several people around her giggled.

Riley felt more pleased than ever when Dumbledore continued to smile, knowing that small very well. "You are quite right, of course, Professor Umbridge. As High Inquisitor, you have every right to dismiss my teachers. You do not, however, have the authority to send them away from the castle. I am afraid," he went on, with a courteous little bow, "that the power to do that still resides with the headmaster, and it is my wish that Professor Trelawney continue to live at Hogwarts."

At this, Trelawney gave a wild little laugh in which a hiccup was barely hidden. "No – no, I'll g-go, Dumbledore! I sh-shall l-leave Hogwarts and s-seek my fortune elsewhere –"

"No," said Dumbledore sharply. "It is my wish that you remain, Sibyll." He turned to Professor McGonagall. "Might, I ask you to escort Sibyll back upstairs, Professor McGonagall?"

"Of course," said McGonagall. "Yup you go, Sibyll..."

Professor Sprout came hurrying forward out of the crowd and grabbed Trelawney's other arm. Together they guided her past Umbridge and up the marble stairs. Professor Flitwick went scurrying after them, his wand out before him. He squeaked, "_Locomotor trunks!_" and Professor Trelawney's luggage rose into the air and proceeded up the staircase after her, Professor Flitwick bringing up the rear.

Riley felt something between hatred and smug satisfaction at watching Umbridge look angry and stunned. She was still standing stock-still, staring at Dumbledore, who continued to smile benignly.

"And what," she said in a whisper that nevertheless carried around the entrance, "are you going to do with her once I appoint a new Divination teacher who needs her lodgings?"

"Oh, that won't be a problem," said Dumbledore pleasantly. "You see, I have already found us a new Divinations teacher, and he will prefer lodgings on the ground floor."

"You've found –" said Umbridge shrilly. "You've found? Might I remind you, Dumbledore, that under Educational Decree Twenty-two –"

"The Ministry has the right to appoint a suitable candidate if – and only if – the headmaster is unable to find one," said Dumbledore. "And I am happy to say that on this occasion I have succeeded."

Riley smiled and turned around, not needing to meet this teacher, seeing as she wasn't taking the class. She walked away and began walking down the hall, feeling a combination of relief and gratitude for at least some semblance of authority in Hogwarts. Umbridge was slowly taking away Hogwarts for herself, but as long as Dumbledore was there, they would be safe.


	33. Chapter 32: Vanished

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Thirty-three: Vanished

* * *

There was utter silence in Snape's dungeon that day. Riley was writing with her left hand, which she didn't mind doing at all because it was her predominant hand, but usually when her hand would get tired, she would switch over to her right hand, but she didn't even have that choice. Her hand was so heavily bandaged that she couldn't put her gloves on that morning, so she was keeping her hand hidden underneath her desk. The truth was that she couldn't feel her right hand, and she'd recently had to switch over to her right hand for her detentions, so even her left hand was barley usable now, which forced her to take twice as long to do her assignments now. She had been doing her assignments in the common room recently, only to have Draco walk by with Crabbe and Goyle, both of whom would purposely dumb her ink all over the place while claiming that it was an accident. She'd become popular to tease or joke about in the Slytherin House ever since Riley had become the center of Umbridge's focus of torture, though no one dared to talk about her while her eyes were upon them. Although her super-hearing allowed her to pick up what they were saying from a distance, no one had the guts to actually mock her to her face. If nothing else could be said, it was that Riley had the respect of everyone in her House, even if it was only respect caused by fear. Only the First Years and Second Years seemed to genuinely respect her, the older students either skeptical or disdainful toward her. Very few Slytherins accepted Riley completely, but they were clearly terrified enough for their social statuses that they limited their time together with Riley. Meanwhile, it was clear that Umbridge was determined to make Riley's life completely miserable.

Riley heard the sound of the dungeon doors flinging open, but she did nothing but focus on the parchment she was writing on. She couldn't afford not turning this in on time. She couldn't afford another night of not sleeping. As it was, she was running on two days without sleep. She had been forced to stay up all night just to get her assignments in. Flitwick and McGonagall were sympathizing greatly with her, but there was nothing that they could do to help her. Riley was determined not to show any sign of weakness, but barely being able to keep up with the classwork because every spell, charm and transfiguration killed her hands made it pretty obvious what was wrong. McGonagall had been furious, but her respect for Riley was clearly growing, as she would give Slytherin points for little things that Riley did. That, and the way that she looked at her was different now.

"Yes, Professor?" Snape asked in his cold voice.

"The Headmaster wishes for Miss O'Malley to join him in his office," McGonagall's voice said in a clear, dry tone.

Riley looked up in surprise and over at McGonagall for a moment. She was looking directly at Riley, her eyes filled with expectation. Riley looked down at Snape, who was looking up at her with skepticism.

"You heard her, O'Malley," Snape said coldly. "Get your stuff and get out. You can turn your assignment in tomorrow, but I will be grading it especially closely."

Riley nodded and shoved all of her stuff into her bag. She then stood up, struggled to pull her bag over her shoulder without wincing, and she followed McGonagall out of the dungeon. They were walking up the flight of stairs in complete silence, questions bubbling through Riley's mind.

"Professor," Riley said quietly. "What is going on?"

"Professor Umbridge and the Minister of Magic are with Professor Dumbledore, O'Malley," Professor McGonagall muttered under her breath, barely loud enough for Riley to hear. "It seems that Professor Umbridge is doing her best to get you kicked out of Hogwarts and sent to Azkaban. Surprise, surprise," she said as she rolled her eyes, creating a look on her face that nearly had Riley cracking up laughing. "This last stunt of yours really pushed her over the edge, and she's gotten the Minister involved."

"Big surprise," Riley muttered in agreement, both still walking casually, so that no one who walked by would notice anything going on.

"Be careful of what you say, O'Malley," Professor McGonagall muttered. "Don't do anything to endanger your friends. You've been very strong up until now, but saying the wrong thing could get Hogwarts shut down, and these kids need to stay here if they are to not be harmed." She narrowed her eyes at Riley as she said, "Officially, I can't support anything illegal at this school, but I'm sure that all of those supplies weren't simply for you." Before Riley could say anything, McGonagall continued to say, "What you've done here is brave, but risky. If you're to make it worth it, stick with your decision until the end."

"I understand, Professor," Riley whispered. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"I _have_ been trusting you," Professor McGonagall muttered, "And I will continue to." Soon, they reached Dumbledore's office, and Professor McGonagall stopped. She set a hand on Riley's back encouragingly, and Riley looked at her in surprise to see a look of concern and respect in her eyes. "Whatever happens, O'Malley, good luck."

Riley blinked and said, "Thanks, Professor."

With that, she walked into the office, only to see Cornelius Fudge, Dumbledore, and Dolores Umbridge standing there, all waiting expectantly. In the first few seconds that she spent in the office, Riley was able to deduce enough from her observations to know exactly what was going on, even without McGonagall's brief explanation. Umbridge looked ecstatic, happier than Riley had ever seen her. This look made Riley feel sick, a fact that she managed to hide well. Riley saw Dumbledore staring at her with a calm expression, and Fudge had a look of superiority about him.

_It's a good thing that I've got so much experience with lying and acting,_ Riley thought bitterly, somehow managing to keep a straight and seemingly clueless express upon her face. She suddenly knew exactly why she was hear, and she was sure that she knew what was going to happen. All that she could hope for was that Dumbledore would support her enough to keep her out of Azkaban. The last thing she wanted was to be expelled yet again, but Riley was wise enough to know that the last thing that anyone (outside of the Ministry of Magic) wanted was for her to get sent to Azkaban. If it came down to a choice, she would rather be expelled, but knew that that wasn't a good decision either. She had too many things that she needed to accomplish here in Hogwarts.

"Well, well, well," Fudge said, looking at Riley with his hands folded behind his back. "Miss Riley O'Malley... Amazing how it seems we keep running into one another, isn't it?"

"Minister," Riley said simply, keeping her voice at a fake, but very convincing, respectfulness.

Fudge raised his chin slightly and said, "I assume then that you know why you're here?"

Riley shrugged and shook her head as she answered simply, "No, I honestly don't." _Of course, I know, you idiot! Your slave in pink has nothing better to do with her time than to make my life a living nightmare, and you're so terrified of everything that you can't except what's right in front of you, you big, fat, arrogant buffoon!_

Fudge raised an eyebrow and asked disbelievingly, "You don't?"

Riley shook her head again, folding her hands behind her back as she said in a falsely innocent voice, "No, sir, I'm afraid I don't. I was working in Potions class when Professor McGonagall fetched me. Is something wrong that I should know about?"

"I should certainly say so," Fudge said, sounding offended. "You're telling me that you have no idea why Professor McGonagall brought you into this office? You weren't aware that illegal actions have been taking place in this castle?"

Riley shook her head and said, "Honestly, Minister, I haven't. Why would I partake in illegal events when I have Professor Umbridge breathing down my neck every second of the day? I spend every night with her, all of my spare time with the Quidditch team, and the rest of my time with my House. When would I have time to keep updated on illegal events?"

Fudge looked skeptical, and he said, "So you have no idea that any Ministry decrees have been broken?"

Riley rolled her eyes and said persistently, "No, I wasn't aware."

"Minister," Umbridge said impatiently, looking angrily at Riley for lying. "She is lying, of course, to cover for her traitorous friends."

"That's enough, Dolores," Fudge said, turning his head but not facing Umbridge completely. He looked back at Riley and said, "Some of the students in your House came across some interesting possessions, tools that are used for training in combat, books that are considered contraband by this school and the Ministry's standards, and enough of all of this to supply at least twenty students."

Riley shrugged and said, "I like to keep extra equipment. I'm kind of accident prone, in case the past hasn't proven anything else to anyone other than me."

Fudge narrowed his eyes and asked, "So you're trying to tell me that no one else was involved in this illegal activity? That you were training in combat?"

Riley shrugged and said casually, "We're not learning anything here at Hogwarts, so I figured I'd take it upon myself to further my education."

"That education can become a Dark power easily," Fudge said warningly. "There's a reason that we at the Ministry have prohibited all use of dark objects and restricted you students to the exercise of practical knowledge."

Riley narrowed eyes, determined that if she was going to go to Azkaban, she was going to give them a reason to send her. She said in a slightly heated voice, "The Ministry is made up of –"

"No need to say anymore," Dumbledore said, interrupting Riley.

Riley looked at Dumbledore in surprise, as did Fudge and Umbridge. Dumbledore's eyes were calm as he looked at Riley, almost bright with excitement.

Fudge looked at Dumbledore with narrowed eyes and said, "Why is it, Dumbledore, that you have chosen to interrupt in my discussion with Miss O'Malley? I felt that it was going rather splendidly, rather _revealing_."

"Of course he wants to protect this girl," Umbridge said haughtily. "Doesn't want us to find out that she's protecting Potter and his lot from getting exposed. I know from a witness that she was with a large group of kids in the Hog's Head, convincing them to take partake in an illegal society so that they can learn more about spells and curses that the Ministry has deemed inappropriate for school-age-"

"I think you'll find you're wrong there, Dolores," said Dumbledore quietly, peering over the half-moon spectacles perched halfway down his crooked nose.

Riley stared at Dumbledore in confusion. Why was he stopping her from saying what she wanted to? Was he going to try to defend her in some way? That would be disastrous for him. He looked at her with a knowing look, and she knew, with dread, exactly what he was going to say.

Fudge looked at Dumbledore with interest and asked, "Are you going to try to tell me that Miss O'Malley _wasn't_ involved in an illegal society? That you some story cooked up to protect her from me and the Ministry? Please, I'm curious to hear what story will be used in her defense. After all, she's well-versed in Dark magics, unafraid of killing and torture."

"If I remember correctly, Cornelius," Dumbledore said politely, "It was _you_ who pardoned her this last time."

"And what a mistake it was, too," Fudge scoffed. "I should have sent her to Azkaban and let her rot with the Death Eaters; the Dark magic she uses makes her just as bad as one."

That made Riley's blood boil. Before she could say anything, Dumbledore said gently, "Now, Cornelius, that's a very cruel thing to say. Now, I do not deny – and nor, I'm sure, does Riley – that she was in the Hog's Head that day, nor that she was observing for prospective allies to train the Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I'm afraid that you're mistaken. She wasn't there to recruit."

"That's all very fine, Headmaster," Umbridge said, smiling sweetly. "But we are now nearly six months on from the introduction of Educational Decree Number Twenty-four. If the first meeting wasn't illegal, all those that have happened since most certainly are."

"Well," said Dumbledore, surveying her with polite interest over the top of his interlocked fingers, "they certainly _would_ be, if they _had_ continued after the decree came into effect. Do you have any evidence that these meetings continued?"

As Dumbledore spoke, Riley saw Kingsley – a member of the Order who was standing guard for Fudge in the far corner – shift and whisper. She didn't even try to listen to it. She just continued to stare at Dumbledore knowingly.

"Evidence?" repeated Umbridge with that horrible wide toad-like smile. "Have you not been listening, Dumbledore?"

"Oh, yes, I have," Dumbledore said with a smile. "You've come up with evidence that there was supposed to be a meeting tomorrow night, but I haven't heard anything about a supposed meetings before that." He looked at Riley and asked, "Have you?"

Riley shook her head and said simply, "Nope. I have to say that everything up until this point sounds like skepticism and suspicion, Professor."

Umbridge and Fudge both looked furious at this. Umbridge walked up to Riley, grabbed her by the shoulders and began shaking her. "You were meeting again, weren't you? Tell us, O'Malley! _Tell us!_"

"_Get your hands off of me_!" Riley snapped, suddenly shoving Umbridge back with a ferocity that surprised everyone in the room. Umbridge hit Dumbledore's desk. In a split second, Riley withdrew her wand and had it pointed at Umbridge. She was no longer thinking of the pain in her hand, only anger at having been manhandled.

Umbridge gave a gasp, Fudge moved in startle, Kingsley moved forward, and Dumbledore was now standing up with his wand in his hand, but not raising it.

"Don't you _dare_ touch me!" Riley snapped.

"Lower your wand, O'Malley," Fudge ordered.

"If she lowers hers, Cornelius," Dumbledore said, and for the first time in the year that Riley had known him, he looked angry. "I will be forced to raise mine. I cannot allow you or Dolores to manhandle my students."

Fudge hesitated, and then said, "Dolores, the meeting tomorrow night, the one we know will definitely be happening..."

"You don't know anything about a meeting that is going to take place for certain," Riley said coldly. "What you know about is my _intention_ to have a meeting. I have been looking at prospective students to recruit, but done nothing else. I've been befriending them, drawing them close so that they will choose to side with me, but until now I've never actually done anything with them. The equipment you found was only preparation for the numbers I _expected_ to have."

"Then you admit to having committed illegal crimes against the Ministry and school?" Fudge asked, looking at her as hungrily as a wolf over a rabbit in the dead of winter when all prey is scarce.

Riley rolled her eyes and groaned as she said, "Get this across your head, Minister, I haven't _done_ anything, only _planned_ it. Therefore, I haven't committed any crime."

"Other than treason against the Ministry," Fudge said with a smile. "A crime worthy of one to five years in Azkaban."

Riley was about to open her mouth when Dumbledore spoke up and said, "Now, now, Cornelius, before you go and arrest one of my best students, you would do well to hear the rest of the story."

"Rest?" Fudge asked, sounding alarmed. "What are you talking about, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore smiled and said, "Game's up, Cornelius, you've got me. Would you like a written confession, or will a statement before these witnesses suffice?"

Harry saw Kingsley look over at her with fear and in surprise. She knew with dread what was going to happen, had the moment she'd seen Dumbledore's expression earlier. Now it was going to happen.

"Statement?" said Fudge slowly. "What are you-"

"This isn't an organization headed up by Harry or Riley," Dumbledore said politely, in a voice most unbefitting the circumstances.

"Wait a minute," Fudge said, sounding surprised and alarmed. "Are you – you -?"

"That's right," said Dumbledore pleasantly.

"_You_ organized this?"

"I did."

"You're recruiting students for – for an army?"

"Tomorrow was going to be the first meeting," Dumbledore said in a fake regretful tone. "I see that it was a mistake to have Riley be my spy, my recruiter. Someone else would have been better, I suppose..."

Fudge looked both horrified and thrilled. "Then you have been plotting against me!"

"That's right," Dumbledore said cheerfully.

Riley closed her eyes, lowering her wand. It was done. Dumbledore had just sunk himself down a drain with no end.

"And O'Malley..." Fudge began, looking over at Riley.

"Oh, she was unaware of what I wanted this army for," Dumbledore said, shrugging casually. "She had no idea that I was looking to plot against you. She only thought it would help her in her O.W.L.s, to learn how to really fight."

Fudge was still ogling Dumbledore with a kind of horrified delight. "Well, well, well, I came here to expel O'Malley, and instead..."

"You get to arrest me," said Dumbledore, still smiling as widely as ever. "It's like losing a Knut and finding a Galleon, isn't it?"

"Weasley!" cried Fudge, now positively quivering with delight. "Weasley, have you written it all down, everything he's said, his confession, have you got it?"

"Yes, sir, I think so, sir!" said Percy eagerly, whose nose was splattered with ink from the speed of his note-taking.

"The bit about how he's trying to build up an army against the Ministry, how he's been working to destabilize me?"

"Yes, sir, I've got it, yes!" said Percy, scanning his notes joyfully.

"Very well, then," said Fudge, now radiant with glee. "Duplicate your notes, Weasley, and send a copy to the _Daily Prophet_ at Once. If we send a fast owl we should make the morning edition." He looked over at Dumbledore and said, "You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged and then sent to Azkaban to await trial!"

"Ah," said Dumbledore gently, "yes. Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag."

"Snag?" said Fudge, his voice still vibrating with joy. "I see no snag, Dumbledore!"

"Well," said Dumbledore apologetically, "I'm afraid I do."

Riley smiled, trying to hide it by lowering her head.

"Oh really?" Fudge asked curiously,

"Well – it's just that you seem to be laboring under the delusion that I am going to – what is the phrase? 'Come quietly.' I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course – but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing."

Umbridge's face was growing steadily redder, she looked as though she was being filled with boiling water. Fudge stared at Dumbledore with a very silly expression on his face, as though he had just been stunned by a sudden blow and could not quite believe it had happened. He made a small choking noise and then looked around at Kingsley and the man with short grey hair, who alone of everyone in the room had remained entirely silent so far. The latter gave Fudge a reassuring nod and moved forward a little, away from the wall. Riley reached back slightly for her wand in case he attacked Dumbledore, but she saw Dumbledore blink at her in indication to stop. So she did.

"Don't be silly, Dawlish," said Dumbledore kindly. "I'm sure you are an excellent Auror, I seem to remember you achieved 'Outstanding' in all your N.E.W.T.s, but if you attempt to – er – 'bring my in' by force, I will have to hurt you."

Riley knew that there wasn't an Auror alive who could hurt Dumbledore, or stand a chance against him.

Riley raised her head, forcing herself not to smile as she watched the scene.

So," sneered Fudge, recovering himself, "you intend to take on Dawlish, Shacklebolt, Dolores and myself single-handed, do you?"

"Merlin's beard, no," said Dumbledore, smiling. "Not unless you are foolish enough to force me to."

"Enough of this rubbish!" said Fudge, pulling out his own wand. "Dawlish! Shacklebolt! Take him!"

Before anyone could do anything, there was a bright flash of silver, a bang like a gunshot, and the floor trembled. Riley instinctively shot down to the ground, her chest and hands against the floor, her eyes slamming shut. There was a suddenly flash of dark dust all over the place, Fawkes screeched, and a second cloud of dust filled the air. Coughing from the dust, Riley felt someone hit the ground about a foot away from her, a voice scream, and then another body hit the ground.

Riley waited until there was silence, and then she jumped up to her feet, looking around. She saw that McGonagall had run into the room and wasn't far from her. Dust was still floating gently down through the air onto them. Riley looked over and saw a tall dark figure walking toward them.

"Are you all right?" Dumbledore asked worriedly.

"Yes," McGonagall said with a nod.

Riley nodded, not saying anything.

The dust was clearing. The wreckage of the office loomed into view: Dumbledore's desk had been overturned, all of the spindly tables had been knocked to the floor, their silver instruments in pieces. Fudge, Umbridge, Kingsley and Dawlish lay motionless on the floor. Fawkes the phoenix soared in wide circles above them, singing softly.

"Unfortunately, I had to hex Kingsley, too, or it would have looked very suspicious," said Dumbledore regretfully. "Now, they will all awake very soon and it will be best if they do not know that we had time to communicate – you must act as though no time has passed, as though they were merely knocked to the ground, they will not remember –"

"Where will you go, Dumbledore?" whispered McGonagall. "Grimmuald Place?"

"Oh no," said Dumbledore with a grim smile. "I am not leaving to go into hiding. Fudge will soon wish he'd never dismissed me from Hogwarts, I promise you." He looked at Riley, who just stood there in silence. "Thank you, Riley, for not making a big commotion. I'd like to commend you for your acting abilities. You could make a first-rate actress."

Riley managed a small smile as she said, "Yeah, well, I'm not planning on making a career out of it, but I've definitely had my fair share of practice." Her eyes filled with genuine regret as she said, "I'm just sorry that I got caught. We never meant to –"

"I understand what you were trying to do, and I think that it was very noble of you," Dumbledore interrupted as he raised a hand, nodding in understanding. "I appreciate that you were willing to take the fall, but it was unnecessary. I'm sorry that I had to interrupt your convenient and well-thought-out lies, but I was not going to allow you to get sent to Azkaban. You're a young and powerful witch, and Hogwarts needs you still." He looked her in the eyes, a secret message being shared between the two, one that Riley understood completely.

"I understand, Professor," Riley said, saying nothing else. "I won't let you down."

"Whatever Dolores Umbridge may do," Dumbledore said warningly, "Do not let her get you down. You are much more of a Slytherin than many of the Slytherins in this castle, and you belong here."

"I understand," Riley said, nodding to him.

A moment later, the Ministry people began to stir. Dumbledore raised his hands and Fawkes, who had been circling above him, swooped low over him. Dumbledore raised his hand and grasped the phoenix's long golden tail. There was a flash of fire and the pair of them had gone.

"Where is he?" yelled Fudge, pushing himself up from the ground. "Where is he?"

"I don't know!" shouted Kingsley, also leaping to his feet.

"Well, he can't have Disapparated!" cried Umbridge. "You can't inside this school –"

"The stairs!" cried Dawlish, and he flung himself upon the door, wrenched it open, and disappeared, followed closely by Kingsley and Umbridge.

Fudge hesitated, then got to his feet, brushing dust from his front. There was a long and painful silence. "Well, Minerva," said Fudge nastily, straightening his torn shirt-sleeve. "I'm afraid this is the end of your friend Dumbledore."

"You think so, do you?" said McGonagall scornfully.

Fudge seemed not to hear her. He was looking around at the wrecked office. A few of the portraits hissed at him; one of two even made rude hand gestures. "You'd better get O'Malley off to bed," said Fudge looking back at McGonagall with a dismissive nod toward Riley.

McGonagall said nothing as Fudge left the office. Once he was gone, McGonagall turned to Riley and said, "You'd better be off to bed, Miss O'Malley."

Riley blinked and said, "Yes, Professor." With that, she turned and walked off, keeping her mind clear and focused on one thing.


	34. Chapter 33: Blood

Chapter Thirty-three: Blood

The plan was in motion. In less than a month, Fred and George would be leaving Hogwarts once and for all, but not without a big bang. Fred and George walked into the Great Hall from the library one day and sat down at the table for lunch while talking about some of their merchandise for Weasley Wizard Wheezes. They would give everyone through Easter Break, but then, they would act.

Fred watched out for Riley subtly across the room, but was surprised when he didn't see her come in after half an hour. He looked over at Jordan, who had been there since before he and George had. "Hey, where's Riley?" he asked. "Has she come in already?"

Jordan shook his head. "I heard Malfoy talking to his friends while they ate earlier. Apparently, Umbridge is making her do detention during lunch since she has Quidditch practice today when she would normally be doing practices. I guess she skipped practice yesterday because of detentions, and Montague and Malfoy were furious." He shrugged. "I saw Riley in Advanced Transfigurations class today, and she was really pale and her hands were both bandaged. She could barely pick up her quill. My guess is that Umbridge has been pressuring her really hard about the D.A. through her detentions, especially since Dumbledore's left and that giant toad is in charge, and has been making her detentions worse than hell the more she refuses. I mean, it's been a month already, and Riley still hasn't caved."

Fred and George both exchanged worried and guilty glances. "This is worse than even _I_ imagined," George said.

"We've got to turn ourselves in," Fred said.

"I thought you were fighting with her still," Jordan said in surprise.

Fred narrowed his eyes at Jordan and said, "I may not be happy with her, or even like her right now, but what she's dong for the D.A., it just proves that I was wrong about Riley being like every other Slytherin. Any other Slytherin would have turned us in before the detentions have started. We have to turn ourselves in."

Jordan shook his head. "No," he said. "Riley was right. Umbridge will just do the same thing she's doing to Riley to all of us. Then the D.A. will have been for nothing." He frowned. "But that's odd. Riley's lunch was more than two hours ago. She should have been out of detention an hour ago."

Fred stood up. "I'm gonna go find her," he said, turning and walking out of the Great Hall.

Jordan looked after Fred as he walked off. "He's really gotten close to Riley, hasn't he?" he asked, sounding almost surprised.

George nodded. "Yeah. I hope he watches out for himself, though. It's as obvious as daylight that Malfoy also likes her, even if he is being a total jack ass, and he's in Umbridge's back pocket. Riley's been sending out so many mixed signals about the whole matter ever since that fight that she and Fred had. Malfoy's part of that stupid Inquisitorial Squad and can get away with murder now."

"No kidding," Jordan grunted in agreement.

* * *

Meanwhile, Fred walked down the path outside the school that led down past Hagrid's house. "Riley!" he yelled. He looked from side to side, but didn't see her anywhere. "Riley!"

Fred walked deep into the woods and soon heard a whimpering noise. When Fred walked another fifty feet and turned a corner, he saw a large, hairy black wolf with grey-blue eyes sitting on three legs, one forepaw raised and completely drenched in blood. Fred had never heard anything so chilling and miserable as the sound of the wolf's whimpers.

The wolf's eyes widened when it saw Fred. It began to hobble backwards, still holding its left paw up, not setting it down at all.

"A wolf?" Fred asked in surprise. "But there aren't any wolves here at Hogwarts." But despite the questions running through his mind, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor animal. He took a couple of steps closer, holding out his hand, saying softly, "Easy, easy, I just wanna help you…" he looked down, "girl."

The wolf made a sound that sounded very much to Fred like an unbelieving noise that humans make. But when the wolf tried to back up, she accidentally set her left paw down on the ground and fell over. She lifted her head and let out a loud, miserable howl filled with pain and terror.

Fred quickly ran to the wolf and knelt down in front of it. He helped her get to her three good paws.

"Easy, girl, easy," Fred said when the wolf began to back away again. "You don't want to hurt yourself again." He ran his hand down the wolf's head.

The wolf flinched, but as she stared into Fred's eyes, she gave out a heavy sigh and lowered her head. But Fred suddenly saw something in the wolf's eyes that he hadn't before. He lifted the wolf's head with his right hand and stared into its pale blue eyes. As he stared into the eyes, he realized that he recognized those eyes, that he had stared into them many times before and felt only happiness.

He ran his hand over the top of her head, between her ears and then stopped his hand on her neck. "Riley?" he asked in surprise.

Sure enough, the wolf lowered her head and began morphing into a new figure. When it was done changing forms, Fred recognized Riley in a black tanktop and pants, without even her robes. Her left hand was completely covered in blood and rested on her knee, not just letters dripping anymore. Tears streamed down the side of her face.

"Riley," Fred said. "You're an animagus?"

Fred couldn't believe that those were the first words that had escaped his mouth after that. He didn't bother to move his hand, nor did Riley bother to even acknowledge it was there. She just lowered her head, tears still streaming down her face.

"Riley, what's going on?" Fred asked, confused. "Why were you out here in your animal form? Why is your hand all bloody?"

"U-Umbridge," Riley stuttered between sobs. "Th-the det-tentions have gotten w-worse, _a lot_ worse."

"Should've known," Fred spat angrily.

Riley sniffed, but didn't raise her head. "The quill goes deeper than just past the skin now. It's reaching bone. I can feel it. It's eating away at the flesh itself, and it doesn't heal like it used to. It's not healing at all."

"That old hag!" Fred exclaimed.

"I, I can't move my hand," Riley said, her body shaking. "And I can't return to the castle while my hand is like this."

"You have to let me take you to McGonogall and Madame Pomfrey," Fred said.

Riley's head shot up, her eyes wide with panic. "No!" she said. "I can't let Umbridge know she's gotten to me. I won't let her use any potions on me to make me tell about the D.A., I won't let her stop me from playing in the Quidditch finals."

"But you can't let her win!" Fred exclaimed. "As long as you let her slowly kill you, you're letting her win."

"I can't even feel my hand anymore," Riley said. "There's nothing I can do about it."

"Don't you still have the ingredients for that cerium to make your hand feel better?" Fred asked in surprise.

Riley shook her head. "Draco found them and confiscated them, said that I deserved to feel the pain."

"That git!" Fred exclaimed. "I'll kill him!"

"I, I need help," Riley said, raising her head to look Fred in the eye. "Help me."

Fred froze. He had never heard Riley ask for help before. Ever since he had first met her, she seemed so independent and like she knew what to do in any situation. Now, she was asking him for help, even after everything they'd been through, everything they'd said, everything they'd done to one another. Fred suddenly realized how much Riley trusted him, how much he meant to her.

"Riley, I would give my life for you if I had to," Fred said, all of his feelings for her showing in his eyes. "Tell me how I can help."

Riley seemed to see the message in his eyes, but let out a loud groan as pain surged through her entire left arm. "G-Get… H-Herm-mione."

"Right," Fred said, scrambling to his feet.

Fred raced up the path to the castle and into the common room to find Hermione. He found her reading a book in front of the fire.

Hermione's head shot up when Fred raced into the common room. She stared at him in surprise. "Fred?" she asked in surprise. "What's wrong?"

"It's Riley," Fred panted. "You need to come, _fast_."

Hermione and Fred raced down to where Riley sat, panting and bleeding her heart out. "Holy cricket!" Hermione exclaimed when she saw Riley. "She's as white as Sir Nicholas!" She knelt down in front of Riley. "How'd this happen?" she asked, taking hold of Riley's left hand and examining it.

"Umbridge's detentions have become worse than hell for her," Fred said. "Malfoy stole the ingredients you gave to her for that cerium."

"I should clobber him for that," Hermione said.

"Get in line," Fred snapped, anger burning in his eyes.

"She needs to see Madame Pomfrey immediately," Hermione said. She raised her wand and said, "_Accio ingredients!_"

A moment later the ingredients for the cerium flew in front of Hermione, along with a large bowl. She quickly began mixing the ingredients.

"She won't let us take her," Fred said.

"She's always been too stubborn for her own good," Hermione said, finishing up the cerium. She stuck Riley's hand in it, and a moment later, the cerium turned dark red. She pointed her wand at Riley and muttered an incantation that instantly knocked Riley into a deep sleep. Hermione stood up and faced Fred. "If you care for her _at all_, which I _know_ you do, Fred, then you'll ignore what she wants for the moment, and do what's best for her, which is to get her medical help. If we don't get this bleeding to stop, she could go into shock or even die."

Fred didn't have to be told twice. He walked over to Riley's unconscious body and picked it up. He then walked across the castle grounds with Hermione at his side until they reached the hospital wing. Inside, Ron was sitting with Harry at his bedside while Madame Pomfrey bandaged Ron's arm.

"Hermione? Fred?" Harry said in surprise as they entered the room. "What's…"

"Goodness gracious!" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed when she saw Riley's limp left hand hanging from Fred's arms and still covered in blood. "What happened?" she stormed over to the bed closest to them. "Set her here. Mr. Weasley, you'll have to wait for me to finish bandaging that arm."

But Harry and Ron had run over to Riley's bedside, where Madame Pomfrey was checking Riley's pulse. "Her pulse is weak and she's paler than a ghost," she said. "She should have been brought to me hours ago." She pulled out her wand and summoned medical supplies over to her. "What happened?"

"Umbr…" Hermione said, then corrected herself. "_Professor_ Umbridge has been giving Riley detentions for over a month now, and they've been getting worse and worse."

"Yes," Madame Pomfrey said. "I've had many students come in with those wretched scars on the back of their hands."

"Riley told me that she could feel the quill digging into her bones," Fred said.

Madame Pomfrey nodded. "She was right. These are deep wounds. You were right to bring her to me. I'll have to speak to the Minister about this. One thing is for sure: she won't be doing any more detentions for the year."

"Oh, won't she?" a dainty, but aggravating voice asked from behind them.

Fred had to control himself not to curse Umbridge with every spell he knew as he turned around and faced her. She stood there in her ridiculous pink robes with a curious expression on her face.

"And, since when has it been your authority to say when a student will be stopping their detentions?" Umbridge said in a sweet voice.

Madame Pomfrey stood up tall. "Since I know what this girl can and cannot do, _Professor_ Umbridge," she said in a spiteful voice. "It is because of _your_ detentions that this girl cannot even move her hand, not to mention continue with those barbaric detentions of yours."

"To question and undermine my authority, is to question and undermine the Minister's authority," Umbridge said. "I may have no choice but to let you go, unless of course you learn to respect my rules as Headmistress of Hogwarts."

Madame Pomfrey was turning a deep shade of scarlet. "Listen here, Dolores!" Madame Pomfrey stormed, surprising all of the students and Professor Umbridge. "I intend to speak the Minister and court about this outrage! You are not only using unfounded methods of discipline, but you are putting the lives of children at stake here! You stepped across the boundary with this one! You can fire me now, but the Minister is not the only one who has power in the courtroom! I'm sure that many people will find this as outrageous as I, along with the entire staff here at Hogwarts, do. Besides, if you fire me, who will take care of the sick and injured students you will injure because of your methods between now and the end of the school year? In fact, if you send anymore children to this hospital wing because of your outrageous detentions, I will inform every parent whose child is in the school and tell them of your methods, insisting that they take their children out of Hogwarts for their childrens' safety." She stood up tall. "Who will you have to boss around then, Dolores?"

Umbridge was a dark shade of red. "You have no such authority as to do so."

"Try me," Madame Pomfrey said.

Umbridge gave out a huff of displeasure and turned around on her heels and stormed out. Fred, Hermione, Harry and Ron looked at Madame Pomfrey in surprise and a slight worry.

Madame Pomfrey let out a deep sleep and smiled at the kids. "I've wanted to say that to her for weeks now."

"I hope we didn't just get you fired, Madame Pomfrey," Hermione said.

Madame Pomfrey shrugged and looked down at Riley's hand. "What matters is that we get her better. Now, I would like you to all leave so I can work on her. Mr. Weasley, you're fine to go."

As they all left the hospital wing, all four kids had a new respect for Madame Pomfrey.


	35. Chapter 34: Hospital Wing

A/N: Three cheers for me, people! I have over 1,800 hits for this story, but more than that, this will be the last chapter of the story that I have to write. That's right, people, I have all of the other chapters written, and this story should be done in about a week, maybe a little more or less, depending on how I put up the chapters. I'm glad people like my story, and I loved the review that I got from one very excited reviewer on January 7th. Thanks, people, for reading my story and beginning to give me back some feedback. You know, when I first started this story, all I ever got was negative feedback. Now, I don't know if those people continued with the story and are still reading, or how many of my original readers I have still, but I'm happy that people are reading my story and enjoying it. Please give me feedback, people, it helps out a lot.

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Chapter Thirty-four: Hospital Wing

It didn't take long for word to spread around that Riley O'Malley was going to be suffering the brutal detentions of Dolores Umbridge. However, it took even less time for everyone to hear about her being in the hospital wing because of it. Because of this, Harry noticed people sending Umbridge even more dirty looks than normal, everyone except the Slytherins. There were a few Slytherins, however, who refused to talk to the woman except when spoken to, some first and second years who apparently liked Riley and believed that what was happening to her was unfair. The young Slytherins were headed up by two girls, the two that Harry had seen Riley sitting with at every meal recently. It gave Harry some hope that there might be some people in Slytherin that weren't total jerks and selfish jack-offs. (A/N: Don't ask, I just put it there because it's a term that I've heard before, and it was the second thing that passed through my mind, and I didn't particularly feel like writing the first.)

Harry walked into his Potions class and looked around. He frowned, his eyes narrowing when he saw the Slytherins looking from one to the other. He then smiled slightly when he saw that every person in the room that wasn't in Slytherin was glaring at the Slytherins hatefully, confirming his suspicions: Riley wasn't everyone's best friends, but she had made friends with the different Houses, and it seemed that everyone outside of Slytherin was sympathizing for her, and taking their anger and disbelief out on the Slytherins.

Harry walked over to his seat and sat down, aware of Aria, who was already sitting down in her seat and staring down at her textbook, from which she'd scribbled out many of the instructions and notes and written in. Harry sat down and looked at her, completely aware of the steam that practically radiated off of her.

"You okay?" Harry asked uncertainly, knowing that even though it was a stupid question, he needed to say something.

"Nope," Aria said simply, her voice very tight and strained, as though she was trying hard not to punch something or someone.

Harry frowned and asked, "Have you gone to see her?"

"Yep," Aria said. "Every day."

Harry frowned. It had been five days since Fred and Hermione had taken Riley to Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing, and after thirty-six hours of rest, Riley had regained consciousness. Upon word that she was wake, Harry skipped classes for the day and spent most of it in the medical wing. Snape had been furious, but personally, Harry didn't care. He was more interested in his friend and her health. Watching Riley being carried in by Fred, along with Hermione, and being set down with her hand completely covered in blood... it had been one of the worst memories that Harry had ever had, and one of the few that he would have given anything to forget.

Aria flexed her fingers and said irritably, "Riley's doing better, but she's far from well. I don't think she'll be going anywhere for a couple of days, which ought to make Umbridge thrilled." She glared up at Snape as he entered the room, her eyes with unhidden hatred and contempt.

Harry turned his head to watch Snape go to the front of the classroom. As he began to talk to the class, Harry wondered why Aria was so angry at him. He'd never seen her so furious and so hateful in her entire life, but then again, Harry could only imagine what it must have been like to receive a message from some random person that your best friend is in the hospital wing, unconscious from blood loss.

"..and then I will examine your potions and grade them accordingly," Snape finished with the instructions. While everyone else quickly grabbed their potion ingredients, Harry realized that he and Aria were the only two not moving. Harry had been thinking, while Aria was glaring at Snape, who also seemed to notice their lack of mobility. Snape glared at the two through narrowed eyes and asked coldly, "Is there a problem, Miss Hardwick?"

Aria stood up, pushing her chair back with her legs. The entire class stopped to watch Aria, the prize potions students, glaring at Snape. Harry saw that her fists were clenched and her eyes blazing like rings at the circus, the ones that the tigers jumped through. He watched for a moment, almost expecting to see her curse Snape or attack him, but instead she grabbed her bag and stormed out of the room, not saying a word. Harry couldn't explain why, but he instinctively grabbed his stuff and raced after Aria, not paying attention to any of the whispers of shock and wonder around him, and definitely ignoring Snape's look of dislike.

Harry raced after Aria down the hall, yelling out, "Aria, hold up!"

Aria stopped and looked back at Harry through narrowed, judging eyes. "What?" she asked impatiently. "What are you doing out here, Harry?"

"I was curious about why you picked up and left right at the beginning of class," Harry said, catching his breath.

"So did you," Aria pointed out.

"Only to – oh, never mind," Harry said, shaking his head and giving up. "What's wrong? Why did you leave?"

Aria narrowed her eyes to slits and said, "It's bad enough talking about what Umbridge did to Riley, and having to see her in the hospital wing, but the fact that that man – do" she pointed back to Snape's dungeon and continued to say without hesitation, "did nothing to try to stop her for hurting Riley, or anyone else here for that matter..." She clenched her teeth visibly, like she was trying to bite her tongue instead of saying what she really wanted to. She blinked and opened her eyes clearly, the anger still visible in them. "I can't be around him right now, that's all there is to it."

"You gonna go see Riley?" Harry asked, knowing that there was no point in arguing with her. He felt the same way about Snape, and the last thing he wanted to do was hear the pompous, arrogant man go on and criticize Harry for not dropping the rat tail in his cauldron the right way, or some other minute thing that Harry didn't care one bit about.

Aria nodded, her gaze relaxing, and she said calmly, "Yeah, I want to go see how she's doing, see if she's feeling any better. She was able to move her hand yesterday, but still couldn't grab anything with it."

"Mind if I come?" Harry asked, knowing that right now, it was probably best not to step on Aria's toes.

Aria forced a small smile and said in an exhausted tone, "Yeah, that would be great. I think Riley would really enjoy seeing you."

Harry smiled slightly and said, "Yeah, I came for the first couple of days, but then it got hard to see her like that."

Aria nodded and said, "No one blames you, Harry."

_Except me,_ Harry thought bitterly, feeling the ugly taste of guilt in his throat.

Aria and Harry began walking down the hallway together, matching each other step for step. They were silent for a few moments before Aria said with a smile, "Have you noticed that Riley and George have been getting along better over this last week?"

Harry smiled slightly and admitted, "Yeah. I saw him bring her in, along with Hermione. I was shocked, but at the same time, I was happy. I mean, it's the most contact the two have had in months."

Aria chuckled and said in a sigh, "Yeah, well, hopefully it's their first step toward being friends again."

Harry smiled and said in agreement, "Let's hope."

It was only a few minutes before they reached the hospital wing. They were about five feet away when they were surprised to see the doors open. Harry felt a rush of surprise when he saw Fred step out, a smile on his face as he shook his head in what appeared to be dismay.

Fred raised his head as Aria and Harry walked over, a look of curiosity on Harry's face and a smile of amusement on Aria's. "You gonna go visit her?"

"No, Fred," Aria said sarcastically, "we're here for the atmosphere."

Fred smirked and said, "Have fun. She's giving Madam Pomfrey the freak out and fury of her life." With that, he walked past them and walked off, not showing even the smallest signs of regret, misery or dislike.

Harry and Aria smiled at one another knowingly, and Harry said, "I think he just proved your point."

Aria chuckled and led the way into the medical wing. Harry looked around and saw that the place was completely deserted, except for two people: Madam Pomfrey and Riley.

Madam Pomfrey was standing beside Riley's bed, which was the closest one to the wall, her hands on her hips and a furious look in her eyes. Riley, however, was sitting up on her bed, her feet hanging out over the side of it. Harry couldn't help but smile in amusement when he noticed the huge mound of presents sitting around her: cards, flowers, candy, and a lot more. She'd been in the hospital before, and had received a ton of gifts, some being really expensive. The problem with this time, the reason for so many gifts from so many Houses, was that everyone – except the majority of the Slytherins – were sympathizing for Riley. It had never been a secret of why she was in the wing. Riley was wearing a white tanktop and blue jeans, wrapping her belt around her waist as Madam Pomfrey went on and on in front of her, clearly displeased.

"I'm telling you to lie back down!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed.

"And I'm telling you there's no way in heaven or hell that I'm staying in here for another night," Riley said calmly, focusing on her belt. She reached over and picked up her leather vest, which was hanging on the head of the bed.

"Don't talk to me in that manner, young lady!" Madam Pomfrey said haughtily. "I've put up with a great deal from you over these past few days, and if it weren't me, you'd be unconscious, or worse."

"I understand that and I'm grateful for all of your hard work," Riley said, looking at Madam Pomfrey calmly as she pulled her vest on. "However, I'm not going to stay here any longer."

"No, you're just going to go out there and undo all of the work that I did," Madam Pomfrey said defensively.

"Look," Riley said impatiently. "My Quidditch career is over for the year, but so are my detentions, thanks to you and the other teachers. Now, since I don't plan on going out and fighting a Hungarian Horntail anytime soon, I think I'm okay to return to my classes and use _actual_ quills that write with _actual_ ink instead of my own blood." With that, she zipped her jacket up half-way and turned her head to look at Aria and Harry, who were watching with surprise. Riley smiled, completely ignoring Madam Pomfrey, who was practically on fire from anger. "Harry! Aria!"

"Hi, Riley," Harry said uncomfortably, looking between her and Madam Pomfrey.

Madam Pomfrey stormed over, an irritable look on her face, and she said haughtily, "If you two are really her friends, you'll convince her to stay for at least forty-eight hours more."

"I'm sorry, Madam Pomfrey," Aria laughed, holding her hands up defensively. "But I'm wise enough to know that trying to hold Riley back when she's determined about something will land me in here."

Madam Pomfrey let out a loud "hmph!" and stormed off without another word.

Riley, Aria and Harry all looked at one another, and broke out in smiles. "Thanks," Riley said, smiling as she shook her head and stood up. "I appreciate the back-up."

"No problem," Aria laughed as she walked over. "So, you're getting out of here already?"

Riley frowned and nodded, saying, "Yeah, I need to get out of here. People keep coming in with these really depressed and sympathetic looks, bringing me gifts and cards and stuff." She shuddered, like a little girl trying to get a nasty spider off of her, or Ron shaking them off.

"Poor thing," Aria said sarcastically in a dry voice as she stared teasingly at Riley.

Riley looked at Aria with a "come-on" look, and said, "Oh, you know what I mean. How would you like to have two hundred people visit you every day and ask how you're feeling?"

Harry hesitated, and then looked at Aria to say, "She's got a point."

Aria shrugged in agreement and said, "So, you need help getting all this stuff to your room?"

Riley nodded and smiled as she said, "Oh yeah, thanks."

Aria withdrew her wand and gave a wave of it toward the gifts. She said in a clear voice, "_Locomotor candy!_" The candy suddenly began to float and follow Aria as she turned around, her wand held lazily in the air, the tip of it stopping close to Aria's chin. She smiled back at them and said, "See ya up at the Gryffindor tower. Can't guarantee that all of the candy will be there when you catch up with me." With that, she walked off, the candy floating behind her.

Harry hesitated, and then asked Riley, "You want help with the rest?"

"Yeah, thanks," Riley said, nodding. "I can do spells, just not for too long." She gave a rotation of her hand and said, "Not totally up to it yet."

Harry stared at Riley's hand and saw that the cuts were gone, as was all traces of blood. Unfortunately, there were still very visible traces of scarring, and he could just make out the words. He looked up into Riley's eyes and saw that they were bitter, but not angry. She then said in a dry voice, "Charming woman, huh?"

"Different words, though," Harry pointed out, looking at the words.

Riley rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, the old hag decided to change it up on me, give me even more lines. They're more words that have more letters in them. I guess it's her attempt to get the point across even further."

Harry nodded and turned his head toward her hospital bed. He withdrew his wand and pointed it at the remaining presents. "_Locomotor presents,_" he said clearly.

The control of items wasn't as smooth as Aria's, but they lifted and followed Harry nonetheless. Riley and Harry walked out of the room and down the hallway, and as they walked, Harry said, "I heard you say that your Quidditch season was gone."

"Yeah," Riley said as she let out a sigh. "That's what happens when someone pisses Umbridge off enough to turn your hands to a bowl of bloody jello. I'm of no use to the team for at least a month or two, and by then the season will be over."

"I guess," Harry said uncertainly, and then came up with an idea. "Hey, you wanna spend your Quidditch practice time with me in the library? We can take a crack at our homework together."

Riley smiled in at Harry with an exhausted, yet pleased expression in her eyes. "That'd be great," she said with a smile. "It'll be just like old times, and who cares if I've got Slytherin on my butt the entire time? At least I'm going to give Draco something to cringe over."

"What's going on with you two?" Harry asked seriously. "I mean, for the past several weeks, it's seemed that you two are kind of, well..."

"Together?" Riley asked with a smile, surprising Harry. When he blushed slightly in embarrassment, she shrugged and said, "We were, kind of, but then I got busted, and he began to show what, I'm afraid to believe, are his true colors."

"Weasel? Liar? Ass?" Harry guessed.

Riley nodded and said bluntly, "Pretty much. He threatened me and tried to bribe me, using those stupid detentions as bait, but I refused to play into his hands, and he got pissed off. But, the way I figure it, I got rid of them anyhow, and now I've got a few months to figure out how to get rid of Umbridge."

Harry smiled and said, "We'll figure it out together."

"Right," Riley laughed, her eyes twinkling in a way that Harry hadn't seen in several months.

"Potter!"

Harry turned his head in surprise and saw that Professor Flitwick was hobbling down the corridor, clearly trying to make his way from classroom to classroom before all of the students came out and made it nearly impossible for a man as small as him to make his way around. On more than one occasion, Harry had seen students accidentally bump into Professor Flitwick without knowing what had happened, just because they hadn't seen him.

"Very good control," Professor Flitwick said, his eyes bright and cheerful as he looked between Riley and Harry, pretending to be talking about the charm. "Excellent charm." He then turned to look at Riley and said, "I'm very glad to see that you are out of the hospital wing, and feeling well to boot."

"Thank you, Professor Flitwick," Riley said, forcing a fake pleasant smile toward the teacher. "I'm grateful that you thought of me. I appreciated the textbook that you sent me, as well as the Berty Boxes Every Flavored Beans."

Harry cringed on the inside. He knew that Riley hated those jelly beans, always gave them to him and Ron. He looked forward to another night of candy, wondering what else was sent to Riley that she didn't like. He always reaped the benefits of other people's ignorance in such areas.

Professor Flitwick nodded and said with a smile, "Well, Potter, thirty points to Gryffindor for such a marvelous display of knowledge in Charms, and fifty points to Slytherin for Riley promoting self-confidence and good character in you." With that, he nodded to the two and said, "Have a lovely day." Then he walked off, not saying another word.

Riley and Harry looked at one another with a surprised, and yet amused look. They both knew perfectly well that they hadn't just received points for his Charms abilities. They'd received the points because of Harry's defiance of Umbridge, and Riley being in the hospital. Similar stuff had been happening to Harry ever since _The Quibbler_ had first come out with his interview, and now it seemed that they might be seeing the effects of it.


	36. Chapter 35: Snape's Worst Memory

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Thirty-five: Snape's Worst Memory

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Harry was making his way into Snape's office for his normal lesson, when he saw Snape waiting for him, clearly in a foul mood.

"You're late, Potter," said Snape coldly, as Harry closed the door behind him. Snape was standing with his back to Harry, removing, as usual, certain of his thoughts and placing them carefully in Dumbledore's Pensieve. He dropped the last silvery strand into the stone basin and turned to face Harry.

"So," he said. "Have you been practicing?"

"Yes," Harry lied, looking carefully at one of the legs of Snape's desk.

"Well, we'll soon find out, won't we?" said Snape smoothly. "Wand out, Potter."

Harry moved into his usual position, facing Snape with the desk between them. His heart was pumping fast with anger at Cho and anxiety about how much Snape was about to extract from his mind.

"On the count of three then," said Snape lazily. "One – two –"

Snape's office door banged open and Draco Malfoy sped in.

"Professor Snape, sir – oh – sorry –"

Malfoy was looking at Snape and Harry in some surprise.

"It's all right, Draco," said Snape, lowering his wand. "Potter is here for a little Remedial Potions."

Harry had not seen Malfoy look so gleeful since Umbridge had turned up to inspect Hagrid.

"I didn't know," he said, leering at Harry, who knew his face was burning. He would have given a great deal to be able to shout the truth at Malfoy – or, even better, to hit him with a good curse.

"Well, Draco, what is it?"

"It's Professor Umbridge, sir – she needs your help," said Malfoy. "They've found Montague, sir. He's turned up jammed inside a toilet on the fourth floor."

"How did he get in there?" demanded Snape.

"I don't know, sir, he's a bit confused..."

"Very well, very well – Potter," said Snape, "we shall resume this lesson tomorrow evening instead."

He turned and swept from his office. Malfoy mouthed "_Remedial Potions?_" at Harry behind Snape's back. Feeling angry at embarrassed, Harry mouthed, "_Go to hell, Draco._" Malfoy smiled in amusement and gave a look of mock hurt before following Snape away.

Seething, Harry replaced his wind inside his robes and made to leave the room. At least he had twenty-four more hours in which to practical he knew he ought to feel grateful for the narrow escape, though it was hard that it came at the expense of Malfoy telling the whole school that he needed Remedial Potions...

He was at the office door when he saw it: a patch of shivering light dancing on the door frame. He stopped, looking at it, reminded of something... Then he remembered: It was a little like the lights he had seen in his dream last night, the lights in the second room he had walked through on his journey through the Department of Mysteries.

He turned around. The light was coming from the Pensieve sitting on Snape's desk. The silver-white contents were ebbing and swirling within. Snape's thoughts... things he did not want Harry to see if he broke through Snape's defenses accidentally...

Harry gazed at the Pensieve, curiosity welling inside him... What was it that Snape was so keen to hide from Harry?

The silvery lights shivered on the wall... Harry took two steps toward the desk, thinking hard. Could it possibly be information about the Department of Mysteries that Snape was determined to keep from him?

Harry looked over his shoulder, his heart now pumping harder and faster than ever. How long would it take Snape to release Montague from the toilet? Would he come straight back to his office afterward, or accompany Montague to the hospital wing? Surely the latter... Montague was Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, Snape would want to make sure he was all right...

Harry walked the remaining few feet to the Pensieve and stood over it, gazing into its depths. He hesitated, listening, then pulled out his wand again. The office and the corridor beyond were completely silent. He gave the contents of the Pensieve a small prod with the end of his wand.  
The silvery stuff within began to swirl very fast. Harry leaned forward over it and saw that it had become transparent. He was, once again, looking down into a room as though through a circular window in the ceiling... In fact, unless he was much mistaken, he was looking down upon the Great Hall...

His breath was actually fogging the surface of Snape's thoughts... His brain seemed to be in limbo.. It would be insane to do the thing that he was so strongly tempted to do... He was trembling... Snape could be back at any moment... but Harry thought of Cho's anger, of Malfoy's jeering face, and a reckless daring seized him.

He took a great gulp of breath and plunged his face into the surface of Snape's thoughts. At once, the floor of the office lurched, tipping Harry headfirst into the Pensieve...

He was falling through cold blackness, spinning furiously as he went, and then –

He was standing in the middle of the Great Hall, but the four House tables were gone. Instead, there were more than a hundred smaller tables, all facing the same way, at each of which sat a student, head bent low, scribbling on a roll of parchment. The only sound was the scratching of quills and the occasional rustle as somebody adjusted their parchment. It was clearly exam time.

Sunshine was streaming through the high windows onto the bent heads, which shone chestnut and copper and gold in the bright light. Harry looked around carefully. Snape had to be somewhere... This was his memory...

And there he was, at a table right behind Harry. Harry stared. Snape-the-teenager had a stringy, pallid look about about him, like a plant kept in the dark. His hair was lank and greasy and was flopping onto the table, his hooked nose barely half an inch from the surface of the parchment as he scribbled. Harry moved around behind Snape and read the heading of the examination paper:

Defense Against the Dark Arts –

Ordinary Wizarding Level

So Snape had to be fifteen or sixteen, around Harry's own age. His hand was flying across the parchment; he had written at least a foot more than his closest neighbors, and yet his writing as minuscule and cramped.

"Five more minutes!"

The voice made Harry jump; turning, he saw the top of Professor Flitwick's head moving between the desks, a short distance away. Professor Flitwick was walking past a boy with untidy black hair... very untidy black hair...

Harry moved so quickly that, had he been solid, he would have knocked desks flying. Instead, he seemed to slide, dreamlike, across two aisles and up a third. The back of the black-haired boy's head drew nearer and nearer... He was straightening up now, putting down his quill, pulling his roll of parchment toward him so as to reread what he had written...

Harry stopped in front of the desk and gazed down at his fifteen-year-old father.

Excitement exploded in the pit of his stomach: It was as though he was looking at himself but with deliberate mistakes. James's eyes were hazel, his nose was slightly longer than Harry's, and there was no scar on his forehead, but they had the same thin face, same mouth, same eyebrows. Jame's hair stuck up at the back exactly as Harry's did, his hands could have been Harry's, and Harry could tell that when James stood up, they would be within an inch of each other's heights.

James yawned hugely and rumpled up his hair, making it even messier than it had been. Then, with a glance toward Professor Flitwick, he turned in his seat and grinned at a boy sitting four seats behind him.

With another shock of excitement, Harry saw Sirius give James the thumbs-up. Sirius was lounging in his chair at his ease, tilting it back on two legs. He was very good-looking; his dark hair fell into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance neither James's nor Harry's could ever have achieved, and a girl sitting behind him was eying him hopefully, though he didn't seem to have noticed. And two seats along from this girl – Harry's stomach gave another pleasurable squirm – was Remus Lupin. He looked rather pale and peaky (was the full moon approaching?) and was absorbed in the exam: As he reread his answers he scratched his chin with the end of his quill, frowning slightly.

Harry was surprised when he noticed a boy sitting in the desk beside Lupin, to Lupin's right. He had black hair, similar to James's but kept neatly. He was wearing Gryffindor robes, had green eyes that were eying the parchment seriously. Something about him seemed so familiar that Harry felt that he would die if he didn't pinpoint what it was. The boy looked up when Sirius tapped his fingers on the desk he was at in indication. The boy looked up at Sirius, and Sirius pointed over at Snape, who was sitting so closely to the paper that he looked like he would have a problem breathing through it. Sirius gave a mocking look, trying to make himself look very stuffy and involved in his work, and the boy smiled knowingly, a twinkle in his eyes.

That was what did it for Harry, what made him realize who the boy reminded him of. _Riley!_ That expression had given it away, one that he'd seen so often that there was no way to deny it.

"Quills down, please!" squeaked Professor Flitwick. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! _Accio_!"

More than a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and into Professor Flitwick's outstretched arms, knocking him backward off his feet. Several people laughed, including Harry's father and his friends. A couple of students at the front desks got up, took hold of Professor Flitwick beneath the elbows, and lifted him up onto his feet again.

"Thank you-" Professor Flitwick began.

"Look, O'Malley," Sirius said with a sneer at the boy who looked like Riley. Harry's eyes widened in alarm when he heard this, confirming his suspicions that this was, in fact, Riley's father, Stephen O'Malley.

Stephen looked up a curious look on his face as he looked at Sirius. He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Sirius smiled teasingly and said, "Look at your girl." He looked over at the far side of the room, nodding to a specific girl that Harry couldn't get a very good look of.

Stephen rolled his eyes and muttered sarcastically, "Ha ha. Tell that to James."

"Yeah, Sirius," James said bitterly under his breath, looking back at Sirius through narrowed eyes, his voice sounding cold and serious. "No comments around her, all right?"

Sirius just rolled his eyes, not seeming very put out by this.

Harry was curious who they were talking about, wondering if they were referring to his mum.

Sirius rolled his eyes and groaned, "You are _so_ boring these days, Prongs."

The four guys, along with the pointed-nose Wormtail, got to their feet and shoved their books, quills and ink into their bag. They then made their way out of the room and into the entrance hall. Harry followed Snape, who was still absorbed in his own examination paper. Round-shouldered yet angular, he walked in a twitchy manner that recalled a spider, his oily hair swinging about his face.

A gang of chattering girls separated Snape from James and Sirius, and by planting himself in the midst of the group, Harry managed to keep Snape in sight while straining his ears to catch the voices of James and his friends.

"Did you like question ten, Moony?" asked Sirius as they emerged into the entrance hall.

"Loved it," said Lupin briskly. "'Give five signs that identify the werewolf.' Excellent question."

"D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" said James in tones of mock concern.

"Oh, good grief," Stephen said, looking over at Lupin with a smile. "So help me, if you got that one wrong, I'm going to have to transform and claw you apart next full moon."

"Ease off, Whitefang," Sirius said, his eyes glinting teasingly.

"Think I did," said Lupin seriously, as they joined the crowd thronging around the front doors eager to get out into the sunlit grounds. "One: He's sitting on my chair. Two: He's wearing my clothes. Three: His name's Remus Lupin..."

Wormtail was the only one who didn't laugh.

"I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes, and the tufted tail," he said anxiously, "But I couldn't think of what else–"

"How thick are you, Wormtail?" said James impatiently. "You run round with a werewolf once a month–"

"Keep your voice down," implored Lupin.

Harry looked anxiously behind him again. Snape remained close by, still buried in his examination questions; but this was Snape's memory, and Harry was sure that if Snape chose to wander off in a different direction once outside in the grounds, he, Harry, would not be able to follow James any further. To his intense relief, however, when James and his four friends strode off down the lawn toward the lake, Snape followed, still poring over the paper and apparently with no fixed idea of where he was going. By jogging a little ahead of him, Harry managed to maintain a close watch on James and the others.

"Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake," he heard Sirius say. "I'll be surprised if I don't get 'Outstanding' on it at least."

"Me, too," said James. He put his hand in his pocket and took out a struggling Golden Snitch.

"Oh, not again," Stephen moaned, rolling his eyes and looking away.

"Where'd you get that?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Nicked it," said James casually. He started playing with the Snitch, allowing it to fly as much as a foot away and seizing it again; his reflexes were excellent. Wormtail watched him in awe.

They stopped in the shade of the very same beech tree on the edge of the lake where Harry, Ron and Hermione had spent a Sunday finishing their homework, and threw themselves down on the grass.

Harry looked over his shoulder yet again and saw, to his delight, that Snape had settled himself on the grass in the dense shadows of a clump of bushes. He was as deeply immersed in the O.W.L. paper as ever, which left Harry free to sit down on the grass between the beech and the bushes and watch the fivesome under the tree.

The sunlight was dazzling on the smooth surface of the lake, on the bank of which the group of laughing girls who had just left the Great Hall were sitting with shoes and socks off, cooling their feet in the water.

Lupin had pulled out a book and was reading. Sirius stared around at the students milling over the grass, looking rather haughty and bored, but very handsomely so. James was still playing with the Snitch, letting it zoom farther and farther away, almost escaping but always grabbed at the last second. Wormtail was watching him with his mouth open. Every time James made a particularly difficult catch, Wormtail gasped and applauded. After five minutes of this, Harry wondered why James didn't tell Wormtail to get a grip on himself, but James seemed to be enjoying the attention. Harry noticed his father had a habit of rumpling up his hair as though to make sure it did not get too tidy. Stephen was scribbling down some notes in a book of his, very intensely at that.

"I will never understand how that girl deals with you," Sirius said, looking at James with disbelief.

"Please don't bring her up," Stephen said, looking over at Sirius with a disgusted look on his face. "Every time I hear her name or think of her, I feel like vomiting."

"_Hey_," James said, looking over at Stephen with narrowed eyes.

"_Well?_" Stephen said, looking at James in disbelief. "_You_ may have the hots for her, but she hates _me_."

"Put that away, will you?" said Sirius finally, as James made a fine catch and Wormtail let out a cheer. "Before Wormtail wets himself from excitement."

Wormtail turned slightly pink but James grinned.

"If it bothers you," he said, stuffing the Snitch back in his pocket. Harry had the distinct impression that Sirius was the only one for whom James would have stopped showing off.

"I'm bored," said Sirius. "Wish it was full moon."

"You might," said Lupin darkly from behind his book. "We've still got Transfiguration, if you're bored you could test me... Here." He held out his book.

Sirius snorted. "I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all."

"I'll test you," Stephen offered, walking over to sit down near Lupin. He took the book from him and said, "Hand it over."

"This'll liven you up, Padfoot," said James quietly. "Look who it is..."

Sirius's head turned. He had become very still, like a dog that has scented a rabbit.

"Excellent," he said softly. "_Snivellus_."

Harry turned to see what Sirius was looking at.

Snape was on his feet again, and was stowing the O.W.L. Paper in his bag. As he emerged from the shadows of the bushes and set off across the grass, Sirius and James stood up. Lupin and Wormtail remained sitting, and though Stephen was helping Lupin out, his eyes were glued to James and Sirius, as though wanting to jump up and join them. Lupin was listening to Stephen, clearly noticing that Stephen's mind was elsewhere. Wormtail was looking from Sirius and James to Snape with a look of avid anticipation on his face.

"All right, Snivellus?" said James loudly.

Snape reacted so fast it was as though he had been expecting an attack: Dropping his back, he plunged his hand inside his robes, and his wand was halfway into the air when James shouted, "_Expelliarmus_!"

Snape's wand flew twelve feet into the air and fell with a thud in the grass beside him. Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

"_Impedimenta_!" he said, pointing his wand at Snape, who was knocked off his feet, halfway through a dive toward his own fallen wand.

Students all around had turned to watch. Some of them had gotten to their feet and were edging nearer to watch. Some looked apprehensive, others entertained.

Snape lay panting on the ground. James and Sirius advanced on him, wands up. James looked around, as though seeing if a particular person was there watching, or seeing if the coast was clear, and then he drew closer. Wormtail was on his feet now, watching hungrily, edging around Lupin to get a clearer view. Stephen was no longer quizzing Lupin, but staring hungrily at James and Sirius, as though wanting to jump up and join him.

"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" said James.

"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment," said Sirius viciously. "There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word."

Several people watching laughed; Snape was clearly unpopular. Wormtail sniggered shrilly. Snape was trying to get up, but the jinx was still operating on him. He was struggling, as though bound by invisible ropes.

"You – wait," he panted, staring up at James with an expression of purest loathing. "You – wait..."

"Wait for what?" said Sirius coolly. "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?"

Snape began muttering under his breath, so low that no one could hear what he was saying. All of a sudden, a stream of red shot through the air and hit Snape, sending him flying back almost twenty feet and up against a tree. Snape let out a groan of pain as he hit the tree and fell down, still bound by the jinx.

"Don't you _dare_ say anything like that to James again!" a voice yelled, and Harry turned his head to see Stephen on his feet. He was no longer restraining himself, but walking forward with his wand raised. His eyes blazed in anger, and Harry didn't have another doubt that this man was related to Riley.

"What'd he say, Whitefang?" Sirius asked, looking at Stephen with a serious voice.

"Nothing I'd say in front of your mother," Stephen said, frowning seriously as he kept his wand raised.

"I bet I would," Sirius said with a smile, and then looked back at Snape. "Hear that, _Snivellus_? You're not as subtle as you thought."

"I think it's time you learned yet another lesson," James said coldly. "Wash out your moth. _Scourgify!_"

Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him–

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

James and Sirius looked around, as did Stephen a moment afterward. James's eyes widened in alarm, and Stephen's eyes brightened, only to be replaced by nervousness and fear.

It was one of the girls from the lake edge. She had thick, dark red hair that fell to her shoulders and startlingly green almond-shaped eyes – Harry's eyes.

Harry's mother...

"All right, Evans?" said James, and Harry saw Stephen standing up straight, not lowering his wand, but suddenly trying to look more presentable, and Harry couldn't help but feel surprised.

"Leave him alone," Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. "What's he done to you?"

"Well," said James, appearing to deliberate the point, "it's more the fact that he _exists_, if you know what I mean..."

Many of the surrounding watchers laughed, Sirius and Wormtail included, but Lupin, still apparently intent on his book, didn't, and neither did Lily. Harry saw that Stephen wasn't laughing either, but was staring anxiously at Lily, clearly no longer finding the situation funny since her arrival.

"You think you're funny," she said coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter." She glared at Stephen and said, "You're not much better, O'Malley, standing there while preparing to curse him." Harry saw Stephen's eyes widen in alarm at this, looking almost hurt. Lily then said clearly. "Leave him _alone_."

"Or what?" Harry was surprised when James asked outright, his eyes narrowed. Lily looked outraged, and James said, "You think you're so high and mighty, Evans, just because you're Gryffindor's Prefect. Tell me, what will you do if I don't leave Snivelly alone? Give me lines?" Sirius and Wormtail sniggered at this.

"James," Stephen said warningly.

Lily folded her arms and said firmly, but with a smile, "No, I'll tell Helen."

Suddenly, the smile on James's face disappeared, only to be replaced with alarm, and Sirius laughed aloud. "_Oooh_, man!" he laughed. "That's below the belt, Evans!"

Lily smiled even wider, seeing that she'd struck a nerve by James's expression, and she said, "Let him go, or I'll tell her, and if _I_ can't make you listen, I'm sure _she_ will."

"You _wouldn't_," James said darkly, looking at Lily through narrowed eyes.

"She doesn't have to."

All of a sudden, a flash of green shot from across the field, hitting James and sending him flying through the air, spinning over in circles until he hit the ground. Harry's eyes widened in alarm, and he saw everyone gasp, voicing his own thoughts. He turned his head and saw a girl standing uphill, her hands on a wand that was pointing directly at. Harry's eyes widened in alarm when he recognized the woman, or thought he did. Looking at her, Harry could have sworn that he was looking at Riley, wearing Slytherin's robes and glaring fiercely down at James. She had the same ice-blue eyes, the same hair and the same facial features, but there was something about her expression that just wasn't like Riley's when she was angry. No, that was the look that appeared on Stephen's face, and Harry understood immediately who this was.

"Oh, _crap_," Harry heard Stephen mutter, looking uphill at the girl, his face covered with obvious dislike and dread.

"Helen!" Lily exclaimed, sounding almost pleased when she looked up and saw the girl standing there.

"Helen!" Sirius exclaimed in disbelief, looking from James, who'd been thrown back to near where Lupin was, Lupin now on his feet and looking around in surprise, and at the girl. "You attacked _James_!"

"I'll attack every single one of you if you don't get away from Severus," Helen said, walking downhill.

"Oy!" Sirius suddenly exclaimed as he turned back to Snape.

But it was too late; Snape had directed his wand straight at James, who was beginning to get to his feet. There was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James's face, spattering his robes with blood. James whirled about. A moment before he raised his wand, it went flying from his hand, and James turned his head to see Helen standing about thirty feet away from him, a good distance from everyone. Helen then turned her head toward Snape and pointed her wand at him. He was suddenly pinned back against the tree, causing him to gasp in surprise. Stephen was sent flying backward on the field, pinning him against a tree.

"Ow!" Stephen yelled as he hit the tree. He glared at Helen through eyes filled with loathing and he yelled in outrage, "What the hell did _I_ do to you this time?"

"I could give you a list _up to my ear_ of the reasons I dislike you, O'Malley," Helen snapped. "But I'm not any more deaf than you are, or blind. I saw what you did to Severus, attacking him."

"_So did you!_" Stephen argued.

"I have the right as a Prefect to break up fights," Helen retorted. "The same right that you have, not that you use it wisely."

"Oh, get off your high horse," Stephen snapped. "You break just as many rules as we do; you just get away with it because you can hide it more easily."

Helen narrowed her eyes at Stephen, and said, "That's got nothing to do with this, O'Malley. Now, back off or so help me, I'll curse you until the end of time, and not lose any sleep over it whatsoever."

"Helen," James groaned as he got to his feet, looking at Riley's mum with confused and hurt eyes, along with panic and desperation, as though he knew he'd been caught and was now afraid. "I-"

"I don't want to hear it right now, James," Helen said, glaring at James with flashing eyes. "You crossed a boundary, one that I'd told you not to cross before, and so help me if you try anything like that again, I will attack you again with _real_ force."

James eyes widened in hurt, and Sirius barked, "Man, you just got served by your own girlfriend!"

Helen turned her head and pointed her wand at Sirius. A huge gash suddenly appeared on his stomach, causing him to double over and groan in pain.

"I'm sick of your commentary, Black," Helen said in disgust. "Butt out, or prepare to spend the rest of your mortal life in detention with me breathing down your neck the entire time."

"That's it," Stephen said, and a moment later, he broke the spell that was pinning him against the tree. He drew his wand and pointed it at Helen. "Try that again on one of my friends, Mask!"

"Try attacking one of _mine_!" Lily said, raising her own wand into attack position, above her head, as she positioned herself between Helen and Stephen.

Stephen's eyes darted from Lily to Helen, who looked ready to attack Stephen without relent. Sirius was coughing up blood from the attack, holding onto his bleeding stomach. Finally, as though realizing that it would do him no good, Stephen withdrew his wand, and Helen lowered her own. She turned to Snape and said, "Get out of here, Severus."

Snape, who was glaring at Helen with disgust, looked between her and the Gryffindors, and Stephen said, "Be glad that Evans was here, or I might have blown your pal's brains out."

"She's not my friend," Snape said dryly, still spitting out bubbles. He glared at Stephen with hate and said, "And I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

Helen's eyes blazed with outrage, and James looked furious and so did just about everyone outside.

Lily blinked. "Fine," she said coolly. "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus_."

"Apologize to Evans!" James roared at Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him.

"I don't want _you_ to make him apologize," Lily shouted, rounding on James. "You're as bad as he is..." She looked at Stephen and added, "Both of you."

"Me?" Stephen asked in disbelief, looking extremely hurt, as though she'd punched him outright.

"What?" yelped James. "I'd NEVER call you a – you-know – _Helen_!" He exclaimed as Helen began to storm away. He ran after her and tried to run after her, only for her to shrug his hand off when he reached out toward her.

Once they left, Lily turned around and stormed off, too angry to stay behind. Stephen took a step toward her, but she didn't even bother looking back.

"What just happened?" Stephen asked, looking at Sirius.

Sirius said through gritted teeth, "Reading between the lines, I'd say that she thinks that you two are conceited bastards."

Stephen looked hurt, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Harry never found out what it was that he said. A hand had closed tight over his upper arm, closed with a pincer-like grip. Wincing, harry looked around to see who had hold of him, and saw, with a thrill of horror, adult-sized Snape standing right beside him, white with rage.

* * *

"Having fun?"

Harry felt himself rising into the air. The summer's day evaporated around him, he was floating upward through icy blackness, Snape's hand still tight around his upper arm. Then, with a swooping feeling as though he had turned head over heels in midair, his feet hit the stone floor of Snape's dungeon, and he was standing again beside the Pensieve on Snape's desk in the shadowy, present-day Potions master's study.

"So," said Snape, gripping Harry's arm so tightly Harry's hand was starting to feel numb. "So... been enjoying yourself, Potter?"

"N-no..." said Harry, trying to free his arm.

It was scary: Snape's lips were shaking, his face was white, his teeth bared.

"Amusing man, your father, wasn't he?" said Snape, shaking Harry so hard that his glasses slipped down his nose. "Didn't expect your friend's mum to defend me, his own girlfriend attacking him and taking sides against him to defend someone he hated."

"I – didn't –"

Snape threw Harry from him with all his might. Harry fell hard onto the dungeon floor.

"You will not repeat what you saw to anybody!" Snape bellowed.

"No," said Harry, getting to his feet as far as from Snape as he could, "No, of course I w–"

"Get out, get out, I don't want to see you in this office ever again!"

And as Harry hurtled toward the door, a jar of dead cockroaches exploded over his head. He wrenched the door open and flew away up the corridor, stopping only when he had put three floors between himself and Snape. There he leaned against the wall, panting, and rubbing his bruised arm.

He had no desire at all to return to Gryffindor Tower so early, nor to tell Ron and Hermione what he had just seen. What was making Harry feel so horrified and unhappy was not being shouted at or having jars thrown at him – it was that he knew how it felt to be humiliated in the middle of a circle of onlookers, knew exactly how Snape had felt as his father taunted him, and that judging from what he had just seen, his father had been every bit as arrogant as Snape had always told him.

Suddenly, there was only two people that Harry wanted to talk to, and in order to get to one, he'd have to go through the person he'd just run from.


	37. Chapter 36: The Truth

Chapter Thirty-six: The Truth

Fred walked out of the castle and saw Riley walked about a hundred yards away. He decided this would be the best of times to talk to her. They hadn't talked since he'd taken her to the medical wing, and that was over a week ago. He knew that now would be the best time, no matter how awkward it felt.

Fred raced down after her, but didn't catch up until they were a long way away from the castle, down by the woods. Riley had walked into the forest and over to a field that had an excellent view of the Shrieking Shack. Fred stopped about a hundred feet behind her and just looked at her. She was wearing a black tanktop that revealed her long, bare white arms and blue jeans and tennis shoes.

"Hi," he said.

Riley didn't move, as though having already sensed that he was there, which made sense when Fred thought about it, considering her strange sense of smell. She frowned, relaxing. "Hey," she said quietly.

Not knowing what else to say, Fred said, "Aren't your shoes going to get wet?"

It had rained a lot recently, matching the moods of almost everyone in the castle. They were standing in about half an inch of water, but Riley didn't seem to mind.

Riley shook her head. "No. I put a spell on them two years ago, one that makes them waterproof, and they keep my feet warm, too. Besides, it's not that cold out, even if there is water on the ground."

Fred walked closer until he was just a couple of feet away from Riley. He could see Riley's chest moving slightly more than normal as her breathing became more difficult, and the nervousness in her eyes as clear as day. He felt a rush of guilt when he realized that he had caused this meltdown of hers. "Look," he said. "I'm…"

Riley lowered her head, her arms folded and each hand holding the other arm. "I'm sorry," she interrupted. "I should have told you and the others about being on the Quidditch team. I told you that I was interested, but I didn't totally believe that I would be on the team until Montague brought me the stuff. After all, I couldn't go to the try-outs because I had detention, and Umbridge would never have let me go."

Fred stepped forward and held onto Riley by her arms. She looked up into his eyes, her eyes filled with surprise as she flinched, and Fred realized just how far they'd come. She wouldn't have done that four months ago, back when they'd still been very close. She'd grown so used to his touch, that now it hurt to feel her flinch beneath him.

Fred shook his head. "No. _I'm_ sorry, Riley. I wasn't mad at you about not telling me about being on the Quidditch team, not really." He hesitated. "I was jealous, _really_ jealous."

Riley raised an eyebrow. "I know that, Fred, I just wish you would have talked to me, believed _me_ instead of him. I mean," she said in disbelief, "You _hit_ me, in front of the entire school. I never would have thought you'd do that."

Fred nodded. "I know. After that, I didn't think that I stood a chance. I didn't know what to say, because yeah, when I was angry, all I wanted was to hit someone, but normally, I would never have done that."

"You should have talked instead of hit me," Riley said, her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "It would have saved us both a lot of problems."

Fred sighed. "I know I should have. It's just that, well, I was jealous of all of the time you'd been spending with Malfoy, and when he made those cracks about my family and Harry, and you didn't do anything about it, but turned around and went on a date with him, I… I felt angry and jealous. Then you defended him and pushed me, and I was already riled up..."

"Fred," Riley said, awkwardly. "I get it, all right? I went on a date with Draco because I was confused and worried, and I was hurt over the whole incident with you," Riley admitted simply. "After that, his dad got a little more intense than I'd expected, and I have the option to go to his house over Easter Break." She saw Fred's eyes narrow somewhat, and she added, "But I'm not going to. After Umbridge started giving me detentions for not ratting you guys out, he started getting meaner, pushing me toward Umbridge and trying to get me to give you guys up. When I refused..." She frowned, clearly thinking about it, then looked up at Fred and said, "I realized by the way that he acted that I can't date him, not with the way that he is. He's got too much of a need to be like his father, and I can't follow that. I won't let myself be with him. Besides, it wasn't Draco that I wanted, Fred." Her voice was clear as she looked at Fred. His eyes lit with surprise, and she said, "Yeah, I'm attracted to him, but I'm not going to date him, not when he treats my friends like trash."

Fred ran his hands up and down Riley's bare arms. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I really am, about all of it, especially about the part where I hit you." He sighed. "When you helped me with my Patronus, I kind of freaked out. I could hardly breathe and my Patronus…" He hesitated, then said, "It turned out to be a wolf, a silver wolf."

Riley looked surprised and pleased at the same time. She then frowned and said, "Well, _that's_ one that I couldn't have expected in a million years, but it explains why you freaked out and pulled away."

Fred ran his fingers through her hair as he tucked some hair behind her ear. "I hope you can forgive me," he said quietly.

Riley shrugged and said, "I already have."

Fred smiled and leaned forward. Riley closed her eyes as he kissed her forehead, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her close. She hugged him back, only to feel him press his forehead against hers. She could feel his breathing, hear it and his heartbeat. She was so close to him... He reached up with his right hand and set it on her face, cupping it and sliding his fingers into her hair and onto her neck. She could feel him underneath her fingertips, and his fingers against her skin... he was too close... too close...

"I've missed you, Riley," he whispered, his forehead against hers and his breath hot on her face.

"I've missed you, too," Riley whispered, feeling happier here than anywhere she could remember.

* * *

George smiled from where he stood in the Gryffindor tower, looking down at where Riley and Fred were. Aria was standing in front of him, his arms wrapped around her shoulders while she looked through binoculars, recording what she was seeing.

"You get it?" he asked, looking at her curiously.

"Oh yeah," Aria said with a smile. She looked back up at George and said with a smile, "You owe me ten galleons."

"I'll tell you what," he said, leaning over and kissing her. She turned around in his arms, placing her hands against his chest. He smiled as he pulled back and said, "Put it on my tab."

Aria smiled up at him and said, "I think we're going to be okay now."

George smiled back at her and said, "I know." He kissed her forehead and she turned around to look back out through her binoculars, spying on her sister and his brother.


	38. Chapter 37: Career Advice

Chapter Thirty-seven: Career Advice

"But why haven't you got Occlumency lessons anymore?" said Hermione, frowning.

"I've told you," Harry muttered. "Snape reckons I can carry on by myself now I've got the basics..."

"So you've stopped having funny dreams?" said Hermione skeptically.

"Pretty much," said Harry, not looking at her.

"Well, I don't think Snape should stop until you're absolutely sure you can control them!" said Hermione indignantly. "Harry, I think you should go back to him and ask–"

"No," said Harry forcefully. "Just drop it, Hermione, okay?"

It was the first day of the Easter holidays and Hermione, as was her custom, had spent a large part of the day drawing up study schedules for the three of them. Harry and Ron had let her do it – it was easier than arguing with her and, in any case, they might come in useful.

Ron had been startled to discover that there were only six weeks left until their exams.

"How can that come as a shock?" Hermione demanded, as she tapped each little square on Ron's schedule with her wand so that it flashed a different color according to each subject.

"I dunno..." said Ron, "there's a lot going on..."

"Well, there you are," she said, handing him his schedule, "if you follow that you should do fine."

Ron looked down it gloomily, but then brightened. "You've given me an evening off every week!"

"That's for Quidditch practice," said Hermione.

The smile faded from Ron's face. "What's the point?" he said dully. "We've got about as much chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year as Dad's got of becoming Minister of Magic..."

Hermione said nothing. She was looking at Harry, who was staring blankly at the opposite wall of the common room while Crookshanks pawed at his hand, trying to get his ears scratched.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"What?" he said quickly. "Nothing..."

Harry couldn't concentrate on what they were saying, even as he picked up his copy of Defensive Magical Theory and pretended to be looking something up in the index. His mind was on the other night, back in the Pensieve. He felt as though the memory of it was eating him from inside. He had been so sure that his parents had been wonderful people that he never had the slightest difficulty in disbelieving Snape's aspersions on his father's character. Hadn't people like Hagrid and Sirius told Harry how wonderful his father had been? (Yeah, well, look what Sirius was like himself, said a nagging voice inside Harry's head. He was as bad, wasn't he?) Yes, he had once overheard Professor McGonogall saying that his father and Sirius had been troublemakers at school, but she had described them as forerunners of the Weasley twins, and Harry could not imagine Fred and George dangling someone upside down for the fun of it... not unless they really loathed them... Definitely Malfoy, since Harry knew that Fred had done a lot worse to him since Riley had shown up.

Harry tried to make a case for Snape having deserved what he had suffered at James's hands – but hadn't Lily asked, "What's he done to you?" And hadn't James replied, "It's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean?" Hadn't James started it all simply because Sirius said he was bored? Harry remembered Lupin lying against the tree, just reading as his friends acted out in ways that were more barbaric than Harry had imagined. And Stephen... only got up when it involved protecting and defending his friends.

Harry reminded himself that Lily and Helen had intervened. His mother had been decent, yet the memory of the look on her face as she shouted at James disturbed him quite as much as anything else. She had clearly loathed James and harry simply could not understand how they could have ended up married, or how Helen, who was a Slytherin Prefect and disliked Snape, had dated Harry's dad and somehow ended up with Stephen, who she'd clearly loathed and the feeling had appeared to be mutual. And Stephen, one of James's closest friends, had appeared to be interested in Lily. Harry felt as though his head was going to explode. Four people, two marriages, none of whom liked each other in school. What had happened?

For nearly five years the thought of his father had been a source of comfort, of inspiration. Whenever someone had told him he was like James he had glowed with pride inside. And now... now he felt cold and miserable at the thought of him.

As though to underline the importance of their upcoming examinations, a bunch of pamphlets, leaflets, and notices concerning various wizarding careers appeared on the tables in Gryffindor tower shortly before the end of the holidays, along with yet another notice on the board, which read:

CAREER ADVICE

All fifth years will be required to attend a short meeting with their Head of House during the first weak of the summer term, in which they will be given the opportunity to discuss their future careers. Times of individual appointments are listed below.

Harry looked down the list and found that he was expected in Professor McGonogall's office at half-past two on Monday, which would mean missing most of Divination. He and the other fifth years spent a considerable part of the final weekend of the Easter break reading all the career information that had been left their for their perusal.

"Well, I don't fancy Healing," said Ron on the last evening of the holidays. They were sitting in the Great Hall at their table, looking through the information given to them. Ron was immersed in a leaflet that carried the crossed bone-and-wand emblem of St. Mungo's on its front. "It says here that you need at least an E at N.E.W.T. Level in Potions, Herbology, Transfigurations, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I mean... blimey... Don't want much, do they?"

"Well, it's a very responsible job, isn't it?" said Hermione absently. She was pouring over a bright pink-and-orange leaflet that was headed SO YOU THINK YOU'D LIKE TO WORK IN MUGGLE RELATIONS? "You don't seem to need many qualifications to liaise with Muggles... All they want is an O.W.L. in Muggle Studies... 'Much more important is your enthusiasm, patience and a good sense of fun!'"

"You'd need more than a good sense of fun to liaise with my uncle," said Harry darkly. "Good sense of when to duck, more like..."

"You guys are so negative, it's funny."

Harry turned his head and blinked in alarm when he saw Riley and Aria walking over. They were both smiling, especially Riley, though it was Aria who'd commented. Looking at Riley, Harry felt all of his suspicions and confusions from the night with Snape's memory. All of his questions came back instantly, but he refused to ask any of them.

"So, what?" Ron asked, looking up at Aria. "You already know what you want?"

"Oh yeah," Aria said, shrugging carelessly. "I'm going to work as a research agent for the Ministry in Potions. I have to get an O.W.L. in Potions, Transfigurations, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, along with extreme recommendations from my teachers in arithmetic and at least three history classes."

"Wow," Harry said, sounding surprised as he diverted from his thoughts about Riley and their parents. "You're ambitious, aren't you?"

Aria smiled and shrugged as she said

"What about you, Riley?" Hermione asked, looking at Riley.

"Glad to see you're talking to us again," Ron said in a cold voice before she could answer Hermione's question.

Riley looked at Ron and said, "I was never in a fight with you guys, only your brother."

"You mess with one in the family, you mess with all of us," Ron pointed out, and then added, "Except Ginny."

Riley nodded and said, "Yeah, well, since Fred and I are good again, you can ease off, Ron."

Ron hesitated, and then said, "Good to have you back. It's about time."

Riley smiled and said, "By the way, Hermione, I'm planning on pursuing a career in making my brooms for a while. I'm not really planning long-term."

"Why not?" Hermione asked curiously.

Riley shrugged. "Just not, see no point."

"When's your meeting?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Tomorrow at noon," Riley said, rolling her eyes. "Snape's been in an even worse mood than usual, and practically bites my head off every time he sees me. I have absolutely no idea why."

"Oh, I forgot you were going to be with Snape," Ron said, in spite of Harry's obvious alarm. "That'll suck even worse than McGonogall."

Riley nodded and said, "Yeah, half an hour with him and Umbridge. That's really the way that I want to spend my time before my O.W.L.s, especially seeing as my hand," she said spitefully, holding up her still-bandaged hand. "Is still hurting. Umbridge, I know, is going to use it against me, and Snape's not any better these days."

"Hey," said a voice in Harry's ear. He looked around. Fred and George had come to join them, George wrapping an arm around Aria's waist and kissing her on the forehead, her grinning like an idiot. "Ginny's had a word with us about you," said Fred. He smiled at Riley, who smiled back through narrowed, teasing eyes, but neither said anything. It was almost as though they were sharing a hidden secret or message that no one else could hear or understand. A second later, Fred sat down beside Harry, stretching out his legs on the table in front of them and causing several booklets on careers with the Ministry of Magic to slide off onto the floor. "She says you need to talk to Sirius?"

"What?" said Hermione sharply, freezing with her hand halfway toward picking up MAKE A BANG AT THE DEPARTMENT OF MAGICAL ACCIDENTS AND CATASTROHPES.

"Yeah..." said Harry, trying to sound casual, "yeah, I thought I'd like–"

"Don't be so ridiculous," said Hermione, straightening up and looking at him as though she could not believe her eyes. "With Umbridge groping around in the fires and frisking all the owls?"

"Well, we think we can find a way around that," said George, stretching with his second arm and smiling. "It's a simple matter of causing a diversion. Now, you might have noticed that we have been rather quiet on the mayhem during the Easter holidays?"

"What was the point, we asked ourselves, of disrupting leisure time?" continued Fred. "No point at all, we answered ourselves, of course, we'd have messed up people's studying too, which would be the very last thing we'd want to do." He gave Hermione a sanctimonious little nod. She looked rather taken aback by this thoughtfulness.

"But it's business as usual from tomorrow," Fred continued briskly. "And if we're going to be causing a bit of uproar, why not do it so that Harry can have his chat with Sirius?"

"Yes, but still," said Hermione with an air of explaining something very simple to somebody obtuse, "even if you do cause a diversion, how is Harry supposed to talk to him?"

"Umbridge's office," said Harry quietly.

He had been thinking about ti for a fortnight and could think of on alternative; Umbridge herself had told him that the only fire that was not being watched was her own.

"Are – you – insane?" said Hermione in a hushed voice.

Ron had lowered his leaflet on jobs in a cultivated fungus trade and was watching the conversation warily.

"I don't think so," said Harry;, shrugging.

"And how are you going to get in there in the first place?"

Harry was ready for this question.

"Sirius's knife," he said.

"Excuse me?"

"Christmas before last Sirius gave me a knife that'll open any lock," said Harry. "So even if she's bewitched the door so _Alohomora_ won't work, which I bet she has–"

"What do you think about this?" Hermione demanded of Ron, and Harry was reminded irresistibly of Mrs. Weasley appealing to her husband during Harry's first dinner in Grimmauld Place.

"I dunno," said Ron, looking alarmed at being asked to give an opinion. "if Harry wants to do it, it's up to him, isn't it?"

"Spoken like a true friend and Weasley," said Fred, clapping Ron hard on the back. "Right, then. We're thinking of doing it the day after tomorrow, just after lessons, because it should cause maximum impact if everybody's in the corridors – Harry, we'll set it off in the east wing somewhere, draw her right away from her own office – I reckon we should be able to guarantee you, what, twenty minutes?" he said, looking George.

"Easy," said George.

"What sort of diversion is it?" asked Ron.

"You'll see, little bro," said Fred, as he got up again. "At least, you will if you trot along to Gregory the Smarty's corridor about five o'clock tomorrow." He looked over at George and asked, "You wanna come nick something from the kitchen?"

"No, Aria said she'd help me out with my homework," George said, a smile on his face as he looked at his brother.

Fred raised an eyebrow, and then said, "Sure." He looked at Riley and asked, "You wanna come?"

"Sure," Riley said. She nodded to the others and said casually, "See you tomorrow." With that, she followed Fred away. "Good luck, Harry," she said, nodding to Harry. "I won't be seeing you guys in Potions tomorrow. I'm going to be with _Umbridge and Snape_," she said in a sarcastically happy voice.

As Riley walked away, Ron said, "Sweet! That means Snape won't be in class tomorrow!"

* * *

Riley walked down the hallway heading to the Slytherin common room, feeling strangely refreshed. She smiled as she walked, no longer worried about her meeting today with Snape and Umbridge. She'd met with Fred earlier, only for her visit to be cut short when George came in, both boys acting mysterious. She hadn't asked questions, only agreed to leave them alone to their business, only for Fred to whisper to her that today would be a day to remember. Ever since she and Fred had made up, every day that she spent with him made her feel more relaxed, happy and complete. She knew who she wanted now. There was no longer any question about it.

Riley walked into the Slytherin common room, only to see Snape and Umbridge in the common room, Snape standing by the fireplace while Umbridge remained sitting in a chair with a clipboard in her hand. Riley walked in, knowing that she was five minutes early, and smiled politely when she entered.

"Professor Snape," she said politely. She had refused to refer to Umbridge as a professor all year long and she wasn't going to stop now.

"O'Malley," Snape said coldly. "Sit down."

Riley walked over and sat down in a chair that faced both professors, though Snape refused to sit down. She wondered how the Gryffindors dealt with McGonogall when she had to deal with blunt and loathing.

Snape looked over and said, his arms hanging at his side and his shoulders hunched stiffly, "You know what this meeting is about. We're here to discuss any career ideas that you may have after you wish to pursue. This way, we can go over what classes you need to prepare for, not that I doubt you shall excel at your O.W.L.s."

At any other time, Riley would have made a sarcastic reply about how that sounded strangely like a compliment, but Riley said, "Yes, Professor."

"What is it that you wish to do after you leave school?" Snape persisted.

Riley blinked and said, "I've learned how to bewitch brooms for flying purposes, and I would like to further a business in that for some time."

"Is that all you wish to do?" Snape asked, looking at Riley through narrowed eyes

"For the moment," Riley admitted.

"Why aren't you thinking long-term?" Snape asked, sounding

Because I doubt I'll live longer than ten years, Riley thought, but didn't say. "I've found, through observation and experience, that opinions and plans tend to change over time. I don't wish to put myself in a career that I will later plan on changing, but instead am pursuing a career that I'm interested in for the meantime. If after a few years, I am still interested in it, I can continue with it. If not, I can pursue another career."

Snape blinked and said, "Well, if you're interested in pursuing a career in that field, my suggestion would be to pursue Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfigurations, Potions and most importantly, Charms. Still, in the event that you decide to pursue a career in the Ministry–"

Umbridge gave one of her tiny, dainty coughs that made Riley want to flinch. Snape looked just as annoyed, but said nothing for a moment as he gathered himself together, and then continued to say to Riley, "As I was saying, you will want to make sure that you get as many O.W.L.S as possibly, particularly in the classes that I just mentioned, as well as Muggle Studies during your sixth and seventh year, arithmetic, and-"

Umbridge gave another squeal, and Riley closed her eyes, letting out a silent sigh to keep herself from punching Umbridge. When she opened her eyes, she saw Snape narrowing his eyes and doing the same thing. She'd never imagined that she could possibly relate to the horrible man, but she knew that he wanted to hurt her as much as he did.

"Yes, Professor Umbridge?" Snape asked very stiffly.

"Well, I'm afraid that I can't condone your suggestions of Miss O'Malley entering the Ministry," Umbridge said in her dainty voice. "After all, she has been expelled from two

_Here we go,_ Riley thought, rolling her eyes back and closing them. _Let the games begin._

* * *

"Good grief!"

Harry turned his head in surprise when he saw Riley storming down the hallway, her shoulders hunched and her eyes blazing furiously. "Riley?" he asked in surprise.

"If I ever have to go through another meeting like that, I'll _murder_ someone, probably that woman!" Riley yelled, facing Harry.

"Consultation with Umbridge and Snap not go well?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow curious.

Harry had completely forgotten about Riley's meeting with Umbridge and Snape, and he suddenly understood Riley's surprising outburst of anger.

Riley stopped by the group, steam practically blowing off of her head. "I have just spent the last _hour and a half_ with Snape and Umbridge, hearing about what a terrible student I am, that I don't amount up to anything, and then I got to hear them very, all but violently debated about whether or not I would be of any use to the Ministry, and whether or not I could apply, even though I made it very plain that I have _no_ interest in applying!"

"Snape _defended_ you?" Harry asked in surprise, guessing that Umbridge certainly wouldn't have.

"Yeah," Riley said, looking at Harry in surprise. "But I could tell that the only reason he did it was because he hates Umbridge almost as much as we do."

"Explains why he didn't come to class," Hermione said, looking at Harry.

Flitwick had taken charge of Snape's class today, and it was safe to say that he was a sore replacement. He'd given them the day to work on the homework from the night before, which was nice, but concerning. Now, it all made sense.

Riley looked at Harry and said in an abrupt voice, "Harry, good luck with Umbridge. Please keep her off of my hands for the next few hours, or I'm afraid that I might commit suicide; or better, homicide." With that, she stormed off, still looking furious.


	39. Chapter 38: Aria's Meeting

Chapter Thirty-eight: Aria's Meeting

By the end of the next day, Riley had calmed down quite a bit and was actually acting like her normal self. When she walked into Defense Against the Dark Arts and noticed that Aria was missing, she asked Harry, "Where's Aria?"

"She had her interview with Professor McGonogall and Umbridge," Harry answered as he sat down.

"Oh gosh!" Riley laughed, flinging her head back as she began to laugh uncontrollably. She then fell forward and hit her head against the table, slamming her fist against it as she laughed.

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked in confusion as he walked up to stand beside Harry.

Riley's body shook as she laughed. She began to raise her head, a smile on her face as she tried to control her laughing, but failed miserably. "Aria... in an interview... with Umbridge and McGonogall... _that'll_ be interesting."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked in confusion from where she was sitting, listening to the conversation. "Aria is usually a very composed person, except when she jumps onto Harry to hug him."

"That's because she's never in the spotlight," Riley pointed out. "It's hard to explain, but when people are specifically focusing on her, she shows just how strongly one of my traits has rubbed off on her."

"And what trait is that?" Harry asked curiously.

Riley grinned mischievously and admitted, "Sarcasm."

* * *

Aria smiled as she walked into the Gryffindor common room, completely content and amused, not a worry in the world as she saw McGonogall stare straight across the room at her from where she was sitting. Umbridge was sitting in a chair near McGonogall, scribbling furiously down on a clipboard and looking ready to explode. Aria couldn't imagine what had just happened. She knew that Seamus had just gone, and Aria could barely imagine what he could have said that would cause such a frenzy with Umbridge, if it was Seamus at all.

"Ah, Hardwick," McGonogall said with a small hint of a smile. "Please, come in and sit down. We need to get on with this as quickly as possible."

Aria walked over and sat down in the chair that faced McGonogall. She didn't even acknowledge Umbridge, only stared with a blank, open expression at McGonogall.

"Now," McGonogall said, very formally and orderly. "Let's get on with this. You know why you're here today: to discuss your future plans."

"Yes," Aria agreed politely. "They involve getting this interview over with, and then returning to my class as soon as possible. Professor Dumbledore and Flitwick tell me there's going to be a particularly wonderful roast served right around –"

"Very amusing, Hardwick," McGonogall said curtly. "But please, be serious about this discussion. You may find that it will help you on your way to becoming whatever it is that you wish to become."

"I'm sorry, Professor," Aria said politely. "But I can't take this discussion very seriously. You see, I already know what I want to do. I have since I was twelve."

"Oh?" McGonogall asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. "And what is it, exactly, that you wish to do once you leave school?"

"Well, probably go home and sleep for a week, but then –"

"Hardwick," McGonogall said coldly, her eyes narrowed.

On the inside, Aria was laughing. She could see Umbridge growing rather impatient, which was the entire reason that Aria was messing with McGonogall. She glanced briefly at Umbridge, and as she did, McGonogall seemed to understand, and relaxed slightly.

Aria continued to say, "I beg your pardon, Professor McGonogall. My career ambitions are to work for the Ministry of Magic in their Potions Research department."

Aria saw both McGonogall and Umbridge look surprised at this. McGonogall looked somewhat pleased as she said, "Well, that's an interesting ambition. I don't recall getting a pamphlet for that career..." She began looking through her pamphlets.

"You wouldn't have," Aria said with a pleasant smile. "It's not a job that is widely spoken about. It takes an expert at Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms and Transfigurations in order to apply for the position. You must have an 'Outstanding' N.E.W.T. In each of those subjects, as well as recommendations from at least three professors, as well as the headmaster, just to apply for the position. There are roughly six hundred applicants for three positions every year, and that's just a footstep into the door, the internship. You must be an intern for seven years before you may work as a basic Potioneer. From there, you work your way up, with hopes of becoming the Head of the Department, a position equal to that of any of the Lord of Governors, and equal pay."

McGonogall glanced over at Umbridge curiously and asked with interest, "Is this true, Professor Umbridge?"

Umbridge looked astounded as she looked at Aria, like a cat preparing to jump on a fresh mouse. She smiled sickly and said, "Yes, it is. It is a very competitive department. No witch or wizard has ever become Head of the department in less than twenty years after their internship."

"My ambition," Aria said with a smirk, "Is to become the Head of the department in ten years."

"Very ambitious," Umbridge said with clear interest. "Do you believe that you have the talent required for the position?"

"Undoubtedly," Aria said without hesitation.

"Arrogance can be a downfall," Umbridge said with clear disapproval, scribbling a note down on her clipboard.

"So can being self-absorbed, a kiss-ass and dismissive," Aria said, her voice surprisingly peppy for the comment.

Umbridge froze in her writing, and McGonogall looked at Aria with clear interest.

Aria smiled politely at McGonogall and said, "I'm not arrogant, only confident. I believe that I am more than qualified for the position, and with your recommendation, I have no doubt that I will make it into the program and department."

McGonogall smiled proudly and said, "You will have my recommendation, Hardwick. You are very proficient at Transfigurations and Potions, and I have no doubt that you will make a fine addition to the Ministry's Research department." She made a few note son her clipboard and said, "You may leave."

Aria stood up and smiled over her shoulder at Umbridge, who was still fuming. "Good day, Professor Umbridge. I hope you have a nice, pleasant evening with Riley." She smirked and said, "I'm sure you'll have a very _interesting_ session together, as always." With that, she walked off, feeling strangely confident and amused at the look of complete embarrassment and fury on Umbridge's face.

A/N: I know it's short, but I just had fun writing it. Plus, it shows just how competitive Aria is when she cares about something, and what she's up against in the future. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, in spite of how short it was. Please read and review.


	40. Chapter 39: Into The Sunset

Chapter Thirty-nine: Into The Sunset

"I was just wondering whether Mr. Potter has quite the temperament for an Auror?" said Professor Umbridge sweetly.

"Were you?" said Professor McGonogall haughtily. "Well, Potter," she continued, as though there had been no interruption, "if you are serious in this ambition, I would advise you to concentrate hard on bringing your Transfiguration and Potions up to scratch. I see Professor Flitwick has graded you between 'Acceptable' and 'Exceeds Expectations' for the last two years, so your Charm work seems to be satisfactory; as for Defense Against the Dark Arts, your marks have been generally high, Professor Lupin in particular thought you – are you quite sure you wouldn't like a cough drop, Dolores?"

"Oh, no need, thank you, Minerva," simpered Professor Umbridge, who had just coughed her loudest yet. "I was just concerned that you might not have Harry's most recent Defense Against the Dark Arts marks in front of you. I'm quite sure I slipped in a note..."

"What, this thing?" said Professor McGonogall in a tone of revulsion as she pulled a sheet of pink parchment from between the leaves of Harry's folder. She glanced down at it, her eyebrows slightly raise,d then placed it back into the folder without comment. "Yes, as I was saying, Potter, Professor Lupin thought you showed a pronounced aptitude for the subject, and obviously for an Auror–"

"Did you not understand my note, Minerva?" asked Professor Umbridge in honeyed tones, quite forgetting to cough,.

"Of course I understood it," said Professor McGonogall, her teeth clenched so tightly that the words came out in a little muffled.

"Well, then, I am confused... I'm afraid I don't quite understand how you can give Mr. Potter false hope that–"

"'False hope'?" repeated Professor McGonogall, still refusing to look round at Professor Umbridge. "He has achieved high marks in all his Defense Against the Dark Arts tests–"

"I'm terribly sorry to have to contradict you, Minerva, but as you will see from my note, Harry has been achieving very poor results in his classes with me–"

* * *

"Sirius?"

Harry was in Umbridge's office, his meeting with the woman over and gratefully so. Now Harry was trying to contact Sirius. He wanted desperately to talk to him, and he didn't know how much time he would have.

The man jumped and looked around. It was not Sirius, but Lupin.

"Harry!" he said, looking thoroughly shocked. "What are you – what's happened, is everything all right?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "I just wondered – I mean, I just fancied a – a chat with Sirius."

"I'll call him," said Lupin, getting to his feet, still looking perplexed. "He went upstairs to look for Kreacher, he seems to be hiding in the attic again..."

And Harry saw Lupin hurry out of the kitchen. Now he was left with nothing to look at but the chair and table legs. He wondered why Sirius had never mentioned how very uncomfortable it was to speak out of the fire – his knees were already objecting painfully to their prolonged contact with Umbridge's hard stone floor.

Lupin returned with Sirius at his heels moments later.

"What is it?" said Sirius urgently, sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes and dropping to the ground in front of the fire, so that he and Harry were on a level; Lupin knelt down too, looking very concerned. "Are you all right? Do you need help?"

"No," said Harry, "it's nothing like that... I just wanted to talk.. about my dad."

They exchanged a look of great surprise, but Harry did not have time to feel awkward or embarrassed; his knees were becoming sorer by the second, and he guessed that five minutes had already passed from the start of the diversion – George had only guaranteed him twenty. He therefore plunged immediately into the story of what he had seen in the Pensieve.

When he had finished, neither Sirius nor Lupin spoke for a moment. Then Lupin said quietly, "I wouldn't like you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry. He was only fifteen–"

"_I'm_ fifteen!" said Harry heatedly.

"Look, Harry," said Sirius placatingly, "James and Snape hated each other from the moment they set eyes on each other, it was just one of those things, you can understand that, can't you? I think James was everything Snape ever wanted to be – he was popular, he was good at Quidditch, good at pretty much everything. And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts and James – whatever else he may have appeared to you, Harry – always hated the Dark Arts."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but he just attacked Snape for no good reason, just because – well, just because you said you were bored," he finished with a slightly apologetic note in his voice.

"I'm not proud of it," said Sirius quickly.

"And you did nothing about it," Harry said in disbelief. "Any of you, even you, Lupin. And what about Riley's dad, Stephen O'Malley?"

"Oh, gosh," Sirius said with a smile, sighing as he spoke. "Stephen O'Malley. Now _there's_ a name that brings back memories. Had a nice talk with Riley about her parents over Christmas, after you first brought it up to me through the fire."

"Riley?" Harry asked in surprise, feeling somewhat hurt. "Why is this the first time _I'm_ hearing about it?"

"Stephen O'Malley didn't come to Hogwarts until his fourth year," Lupin explained. "It took him a few months before we realized that he fit right into our group, and even though most of the others had become animaguses by then, it didn't take Stephen long to catch up. It only took him a few months to completely turn himself into a white wolf."

"Hence the nickname 'Whitefang'," Sirius added.

Lupin continued to say, "Frankly, we were all amazed when he was chosen as Prefect and I wasn't, since he'd only been there a year. But frankly, he was more like me, had his nose stuck in books, but he never missed out on a chance to go after trouble with James and Sirius. Frankly, he and I were closer friends than he was with Sirius and James, though don't get me wrong, Stephen loved getting into trouble with them. Look, Harry, what you've got to understand is that your father and Sirius were the best in school at whatever they did, Stephen, too. Everyone thought they were the height of cool, even if they did sometimes get a bit carried away–"

"If we were sometimes arrogant little berks, you mean," said Sirius.

Lupin smiled.

"He kept messing up his hair," said Harry in a pained voice.

Sirius and Lupin laughed.

"I'd forgotten he used to do that," said Sirius affectionately.

"Was he playing with the Snitch?" said Lupin eagerly.

"Yeah," said Harry.

"Stephen used to hate it when he did that," Lupin said with a smile. "Always insisted that James was the biggest idiot and show-off. I guess it was because as much as Stephen liked James, he had always wanted to be Seeker for the team, but James was better, and Stephen was a better Keeper than Seeker anyways. Still, the only one your dad would ever listen to was Sirius."

"Well, I thought he was a bit of an idiot," Harry admitted. "My dad, I mean."

"Of course he was a bit of an idiot!" said Sirius bracingly. "We were all idiots! Well – not Moony so much," he said fairly, looking at Lupin, but Lupin shook his head.

"Did I ever tell you to lay off Snape?" he said. "Did I ever have the guts to tell you I thought you were out of order?"

"Yeah, well," said Sirius, "You made us feel ashamed of ourselves sometimes..."

"Please listen," Harry said, surprising Sirius and Lupin. "I don't have much time. What about Helen Mask and my mum?"

"Wow," Lupin said, his eyes wide in amazement. "Helen Mask. _There's_ a woman who hasn't crossed my mind in years."

"I can tell she made an impression on you guys," Harry said, almost with amusement. He had a guess why they felt this way; Helen had been absolutely beautiful, mesmerizing to anyone, even Harry, who had only seen her in a memory.

"_That's_ an understatement," Sirius said. "Since you saw that memory, I'm guessing you saw her curse me."

"Yeah, kinda," Harry admitted.

"I had a scar on my stomach for the next fifteen years because of her," Sirius said bitterly, and then said in a pleasant voice, "But it all worked out in the end, because she ended up marrying Stephen, one of our best friends."

"What happened between her and Stephen to make them hate each other so much?" Harry asked, confused. "And how did she go from dating my dad to marrying Stephen?"

"That's a woman that would be hard to forget," Lupin said with a smile. "Harry, when your dad was in school, there were only two girls that ever really caught his eye: Helen and Lily. Stephen was the same way. I think that was the only thing that ever came close to coming between them, once they became friends."

"Your dad was attracted to both girls right from the start," Sirius explained. "Lily was sweet, but temperamental; but Helen was out of this world in every way. She was powerful – not that your mum wasn't – but she had this extra flair about her, this recklessness that everyone knew about, but nobody could prove, that attracted all of the guys. Even _I_ was interested in her at one point."

"I think _every_ boy in the school was at one point," Lupin agreed. "She was beautiful, carried herself with a confidence that no one could understand. She was a Pureblood, which appealed to the Slytherins, and seeing as she was a Slytherin, no one could believe it when she began to date James on Christmas Day of our fourth year. The entire school was in an uproar about it, but at the same time, it was a match made in heaven. Helen was the most popular girl in school, your dad and Sirius the most popular guys. Every guy wanted Helen, and your dad was fascinated by her. She was completely different than anyone he'd ever met, both in her power and her attitude. To Helen, everything was a chance to learn. She was a Parstlemouth and very open about it, which surprised everyone and scared some, and she believed in equality among everyone, from Purebloods to Muggleborns to Muggles."

"That's what did her in with James," Sirius agreed, nodding. "When James caught her defending a first-year Muggleborn Gryffindor from a seventh-year Slytherin Pureblood during our first year, he realized that he wanted to date her. It took him some chasing -"

"And four years," Lupin added.

Sirius smiled before continuing to say, "- before she finally accepted. They were dating a pretty long time before they finally broke up."

"After he attacked Snape?" Harry guessed.

Sirius chuckled and shook his head. "No, Harry, not then. They broke up at the beginning of our sixth year It wasn't until the next year that your mum and dad started dating. Stephen and Lily dated during the middle our fifth year until beginning of middle of our sixth. She broke up with him for James, and when Stephen was dealing with the pain of losing her, he found Helen, who was still reeling over losing James only a few months before."

"She _attacked_ him!" Harry said in disbelief. "She sent him _flying_ across the field with an incredibly intense spell!"

Sirius chuckled, and Lupin said with a shrug, "That was Helen's style, very aggressive and forward. I told you, Harry, she was different from anyone else in the school. She disregarded the rules as much as we did, but gave the appearance that she believed in them. It was completely hypocritical, and we envied her because of it, but nonetheless, the fact is that she was undoubtedly the better sneak. She had no fear of attacking students when protecting her classmates. You see, she was a Slytherin Prefect, and James understood more than anyone that she would protect and defend the people in her House before anyone else, even him. He'd accepted that before they went out. That really tested their relationship, that day. Can't say that she didn't _almost_ break up with him then, but that wasn't the first time that Helen attacked James for attacking Snape, and it sure wasn't the last time, even _after_ they stopped dating."

"Why'd they break up?" Harry asked, confused.

Lupin shrugged and said, "I don't think we ever really found out, didn't feel it was right to pry when James was hurt so badly over it. I know that what triggered it was James nearly drowning Snape in the lake, but that wasn't the main cause. If that had truly been the cause, James could have found a way to save the relationship. No, in the end, I think it was because even though they cared a lot about one another, after a year and a half, neither really loved each other, not in the way that James loved Lily. They ended up staying friends, both couples, but after graduation, when the great war with Voldemort started, Helen and Stephen somewhat dropped off the map when they began to found the Black Ravens. That became their everything, the most important thing in their life. They were both dedicated to the same cause, wanted to see Voldemort go down for what he'd done to their friends."

"And my mum and dad?" Harry asked. "Why'd she marry him? She _hated_ him."

"Nah, she didn't," said Sirius.

"She started going out with him in seventh year, after the break-up with Helen made his head deflate a little," Lupin explained. "And stopped hexing people just for the fun of it."

"Even Snape?" said Harry.

"Well," said Lupin slowly, "Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn't really expect James to take that lying down, could you?"

"And my mum was okay with that? And Riley's?"

"Well, Lily didn't know too much about it, to tell you the truth," said Sirius. "I mean, James didn't take Snape on dates with her and jinx him in front of her, did he? As for Helen, it's like Remus said: that wasn't the first or last time she attacked him. He continued with it later, but it was usually as a rebuttal, not initiated by James."

Sirius frowned at Harry, who was still looking unconvinced. "Look," he said. "Your father was the best friend I ever had, and he was a good person. A lot of people are idiots at the age of fifteen. He grew out of it."

"Yeah, okay," said Harry heavily. "I just never thought I'd feel sorry for Snape."

"Now you mention it," said Lupin, a faint crease between his eyebrows, "how did Snape react when he found you'd seen all this?"

Before Harry had a chance to respond, he heard voices, sounds from behind him. Lupin suddenly said, "You go! Don't get caught, Harry!"

Harry quickly pulled out of the fire and found himself at the foot of Umbridge's fireplace again.

"Quickly! Quickly!" he heard a wheezy voice mutter right outside the office door. "Ah, she's left it open..."

Harry dived for the Invisibility Cloak and had just managed to pull it over himself when Filch burst into the office. He looked absolutely delighted about something and was talking to himself feverishly as he crossed the room, pulled open a drawer in Umbridge's desk, and began rifling through the papers inside it.

"Approval for Whipping... Approval for whipping... I can do it at last... They've had it coming to them for years..."

He pulled out a piece of parchment, kissed it, then shuffled rapidly back out of the front door. Once Filch was gone, Harry began to make his way out of the office as quietly as possible. The last thing he wanted was to leave the fireplace. He wanted to talk to Sirius and Lupin more about his parents, but he knew that it was too risky now. The diversion was over, and he had to get out.

As Harry walked downstairs, he realized that it was just like the night when Trelawney had been sacked. Students were standing all around the walls in a great ring (some of them, Harry noticed, covered in a substance that looked very like Stinksap); teachers and ghosts were also in the crowd. Prominent among the onlookers were members of the Inquisitorial Squad, who were all looking exceptionally pleased with themselves, and Peeves, who was bobbing overhead, gazed down upon Fred and George, who stood in the middle of the floor with the unmistakable look of two people who had just been cornered.

Harry looked around for his friends, and saw that Hermione and Ron were in the innermost part of the ring of students, watching with interest, and he was surprised when he saw Riley and Aria with the other members of the DA at the back, Riley staring forward with a smirk on her face, while Aria looked a little more serious.

"So!" Umbridge said triumphantly, and he realized that she was standing just a few stairs in front of him, once more looking down upon her prey. "So... you thin it's amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"

"Pretty much, yeah," said Fred, looking back up at her with the slightest sign of fear or remorse.

Filch elbowed his way closer to Umbridge, almost crying with happiness

"I've got the form, Headmistress," he said hoarsely, waving the piece of parchment Harry had just seen him take fro her desk. "I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting... Oh let me do it now..."

"Very good, Argus," she said. "You two," she went on, gazing down at Fred and George, who had their arms folded with smiles on their faces. Neither looked afraid, but rather self-assured, and Harry wondered just what they had up their sleeves. "Are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."

"You know what?" said Fred. "I don't think we are." He turned to his twin. "George," he said. "I think we've outgrown full-time education."

"Yeah, I've been feeling that why myself," said George lightly.

"Time to rest our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" asked Fred.

"Definitely," said George.

And before Umbridge could say a word, they raised their wands and said together, "_Accio Brooms!_"

Harry heard a loud crash somewhere in the distance. Looking to his left he ducked just in time – Fred and George's broomsticks, one still trailing the heavy chain and iron peg with which Umbridge had fastened them to the wall, were hurtling along the corridor toward their owners. They turned left, streaked down the stairs, and stopped sharply in front of the twins, the chain clattering loudly on the flagged stone floor.

"We won't be seeing you," Fred told Professor Umbridge, swinging his leg over the broomstick.

"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," said George, mounting his own.

Fred looked around at the assembled students, and at the silent, watchful crowd. He kicked off and flew up into the air, flying around and saying aloud as he reached into his pocket, "If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley – Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," he said in a loud voice as he came around in the air, flying down by Riley and Aria at an incredible speed. Most everyone backed up, except for Riley and Aria, who remained in place. Fred came zooming by and said aloud, "Our new premises!" as he shoved something directly into Riley's hand, almost too fast and hard for her to hang onto. He then flew up and out toward where George was flying.

Aria glanced briefly at Riley in surprise, only for Riley to subtly set both hands in her back pockets, pretending to watch Fred and George as they flew off into the distance. She didn't make any expression or indication of anything being wrong, which only made Aria smile more.

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," added George, pointing at Professor Umbridge.

"STOP THEM!" Umbridge shrieked, but it was too late. As the Inquisitorial Squad closed in, drawing their wands, Fred and George were flying out toward the exit.

"Give her hell for us, Peeves."

And Peeves, whom Harry had never seen take an order from a student before, swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset.


	41. Chapter 40: What You Deserve

Chapter Forty: You Asked For It

Riley waited as the moon continued to rise, the hand on her watch moving with each second. She knew when it would be safe to leave, and she was waiting for exactly the right moment. She stood right outside of the Slytherin's tower, her eyes narrowed to the moonlight. In her hand was the letter that Fred had slipped her that day when he'd flown by. He and George were gone, and Umbridge was pissed off more than ever before in her time at Hogwarts, which seemed to please every student and staff member in the school. Riley had to admit that she hadn't expected George and Fred to do it while Harry was using the fireplace, but it had been perfect, as perfect as their firework escapade. Still, she'd read the letter, and every muscle in her body itched as she waited for that hand to reach the twelve.

It hit it.

Riley smiled, parting her lips slightly and revealing her teeth as they began to turn from human teeth to fangs. Her body began to morph into the body of a wolf. She was wearing nothing but a leather top and pants tonight, an outfit that was enough to continue wearing while she was transformed. She then took off down the hill, racing as fast as her wolf legs would carry her.

Riley ran through the grass, running as fast as possible until she found herself down past Hagrid's hut, in the woods. She knew what would happen if she was caught, but frankly, she didn't care, not anymore. She had to do this, she had to go.

Riley began to slow down when she smelled him nearby, the scent fresh. Riley looked around, knowing exactly where he was supposed to be. She ran across the hill and over to a group of trees that led into a forest. She saw him standing against a tree, his hands in his pockets as he waited for her.

Riley leapt up into the air and transformed back into a human, folding her arms as she did. She smiled when she said, "I'm glad you came."

"I'm glad _you_ did," Fred said with a smile as he looked up to see her coming over. "Didn't know if you'd be able to."

Riley smiled as she walked closer, saying with a smirk, "That was a pretty impressive stunt you pulled, you and George."

"Glad you liked it," Fred said with a smile as Riley walked up. "Couldn't deal with Umbridge anymore, the way she treated us, you, or anyone for that matter." He reached out with a hand and brushed the bangs out of Riley's face, tucking it behind her ear as he said, "You gonna be okay?"

"Without you there?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow. She shrugged and said, "I'll survive."

Fred took Riley by both hands, raising them up so that they were up by their shoulders, entwining his fingers with hers. "So," he said, raising an eyebrow. "How do you propose we do this?"

Riley smiled, pretending to think about it. She then said sarcastically in a cheerful, upbeat voice, "You could always come back to school, apologize to Umbridge and ask to be let back in."

Fred leaned his head back and laughed, saying with a smile, "That's _never_ going to happen. Besides," he said with a smile. His eyes narrowed teasingly as he said, "Besides, I believe that you owe me."

"I owe you?" Riley asked curiously.

"I won our bet over Aria and George," Fred said, and his eyes widened with Riley's in amusement as she understood. "Yeah, that's right."

"So, what now?" Riley asked, not pulling her hands away. She had a serious look on her face as she spoke.

Fred frowned and said, "I guess George and I will run the shop and help Dumbledore out with the Order, do what we can wherever we can."

"I meant about us," Riley said, a smile on her face.

Fred blinked and said seriously, "I know. I guess we'll have to meet like this for a while, when we can."

Riley rolled her eyes and said in a quiet sigh, "I wish that Umbridge woman would just get out of Hogwarts for good."

"Me, too," Fred agreed. "But until that day comes, I guess this will have to be long-distance."

Riley smiled and said, "Not for long. We always have summers, and since I don't have to go back to America now we can meet. Until then, I guess we can meet a couple times a week here."

"Yeah," Fred said, smiling as he leaned over and kissed Riley. He moved his hands from her hands to her waist, and she moved her hands wrap her arms around his neck, pulling herself close to him as they embraced one another, their bodies right against one another's. They held one another for several moments, very involved in their embrace, when Riley pulled her head back and set it on his shoulder, holding him close.

"I'm sorry that I ever made you doubt me," Riley whispered, not wanting to let him go.

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you," Fred responded. "And I'm sorry that it wasn't until right before I left that I was able to say it."

Riley pulled back and said to Fred, "I'll meet you out here in three nights?"

Fred smiled and said, "Try to keep me away." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

Riley closed her eyes as she felt his lips on her forehead, and she said, "I should probably go before Snape realizes I'm gone, or Pansy rats me out," she added, rolling her eyes.

"Stay," Fred whispered in her ear, making her feel as though her entire body was tingling. "Just a little longer."

Riley smiled, not needing to be told twice. She pulled her head back and pressed her lips against his, silencing him.

* * *

From a distance, Draco watched as Riley stood in the Weasley boy's arms, kissing him intensely. His eyes were narrowed with dislike and anger, along with a feeling of betrayal and disbelief. He hadn't believed it, not really, that he would get passed over for Fred Weasley. He never would have guessed it in a million years. Still, standing there, he felt the tips of his fingers prickle with anger, with offense.

Draco had followed Riley outside, seeing her slip from the dormitory. Curiosity had nagged at him, and when he saw who she'd gone to meet, and why, he understood the idea of Pandora's Box, or 'curiosity killed the cat'. Anger boiled inside of him, the drive for revenge. He knew how to extract it, in a way that would leave her scarred for life.

No. He wasn't going to turn her over to Umbridge. He wouldn't let her have the pleasure of killing Riley. He wanted her to feel what he was feeling now, the hurt, but he didn't want her dead. No, she hadn't been kind enough to kill him before going back to Weasley, so he had no intention of letting her get away easily. No, he wanted to do this his way, to make her feel it.

_You're going to get what you asked for, _Draco thought bitterly. _Just make a move, and you'll find out what I'm really like when I'm hurt and mad._


	42. Chapter 41: OWLs

Chapter Forty-one: O.W.L.s

The castle grounds were gleaming in the sunlight as though freshly painted. The cloudless sky smiled at itself in the smoothly sparkling lake, the satin-green lawns rippled occasionally in a gentle breeze: June had arrived, but to the fifth years this meant only one thing: Their O.W.L.s were upon them at last.

Their teachers were no longer setting them homework; lessons were devoted to reviewing those topics their teachers thought most likely to come up in the exams. The purposeful, feverish atmosphere drove nearly everything but the O.W.L.s from Harry's mind, though he did wonder occasionally during Potions lessons whether Lupin had ever told Snape that he must continue giving Harry Occlumency tuition: If he had, then Snape had ignored Lupin as thoroughly as he was now ignoring Harry. This suited Harry very well; he was quite busy and tense enough without extra classes with Snape, and to his relief Hermione was much to preoccupied these days to badger him about Occlumency. She was spending a lot of time muttering to herself and had not laid out any elf clothes for days.

She was not the only person acting oddly as the O.W.L.s drew steadily nearer. Ernie Macmillan had developed an irritating habit of interrogating people about their study habits.

"How many hours d'you think you're doing a day?" he demanded of Harry and Ran as they queued outside Herbology, a manic gleam in his eyes.

"I dunno," said Ron. "A few..."

"More or less than eight?"

"Less, I s'pose," Ron said, looking slightly alarmed.

"I'm doing eight," said Ernie, puffing out his chest. "Eight or nine. I'm getting an hour in before breakfast every day. Eight's my average. I can do ten on a good weekend day. I did nine and a half on Monday. Not so good on Tuesday – only seven and a quarter. The on Wednesday–"

Harry was deeply thankful that Professor Sprout ushered them into greenhouse three at that point, forcing Ernie to abandon his recital.

Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy had found a different way to induce panic. "Of course, it's not what you know," he was heard to tell Crabbe and Goyle loudly outside Potions a few days before the exams were to start, "It's who you know. Now, Father's been friendly with the head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority for years – old Griselda Marchbanks – we've had her round for dinner and everything..."

"Do you think that's true?" Hermione whispered to Harry, Ron and Aria, looking frightened.

"Nothing we can do about it if it is," Ron said gloomily.

Aria, who was paired up with Neville said casually, "So what if it is? Hermione, with your brains, anyone would be insane not to pass you, whether they know you or not." Hermione blushed slightly at this.

"Where does that leave me?" Ron asked defensively.

"I don't think it's true," said Neville in a quietly from beside Aria. "Because Griselda Marchbanks is a friend of my gran's, and she's never mentioned the Malfoys."

"What's she like, Neville?" asked Hermione at once. "Is she strict?"

"Bit like Gran, really," said Neville in a subdued

"Knowing her won't hurt your chances though, will it?" Ron told him encouragingly.

"Oh, I don't think it will make any difference," said Neville, still more miserably. "Gran's always telling Professor Marchbanks I'm not as good as my dad... Well... you saw what she's like at St. Mungo's..."

Aria smiled at Neville and said firmly, "Neville, it's all right. I know you're going to do well on your O.W.L.s. I've been helping you out for the last three weeks, and Professor McGonogall is right. The only problem you have is that you don't believe in yourself. When we practice, you're always right, but when you go into a classroom, you freeze up. Just have a little faith in yourself." Neville smiled somewhat at this, looking a little less stressed.

Riley, who was working across the table with Pansy Parkinson, was smiling to herself and humming slightly, and Harry was surprised to find that she had a good voice. "What are you so happy about?" he asked, sounding surprised.

Riley looked up, startled but not unhappily, and she asked with a smile, "What do you mean?"

"He's right, Riley," Aria said with a smile, looking at Riley in amusement and confusion. "You've been a lot more cheerful in the past couple weeks than I've seen you in a long time."

"I'm just in a good mood," Riley said, shrugging. "I enjoy exams, kind of like Hermione."

"But this one makes even me nervous," Hermione said, still looking a little uncertain.

Riley shrugged and said, "Not me. It's just another set of exams. It probably won't affect my future at all, and I'm not worried about them, even if they do."

"Wish Neville here had that same mindset," Aria said, looking at Neville, who looked sad again.

Harry couldn't take his eyes off of Riley as she looked down at what she was working on. "What is _with_ you?" he couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah," Pansy agreed, looking at her partner with a small smile. Harry was surprised to see that she agreed with him on something and wasn't mocking him like normal. She was smiling at Riley in equal confusion and surprise.

"It's _nothing_!" Riley insisted, seeing others look at her. "I'm just in a good mood."

"Must be all of those late nights agreeing with you," Malfoy said darkly as he walked behind Riley, not bothering to look at her as he spoke coldly to her.

Riley turned her head in alarm as she watched Malfoy walk away. "Why do you say that?" she asked, the smile on her face gone. But Malfoy didn't answer. In fact, he didn't talk to Riley at all for the rest of the class, and barely to anyone at all.

Meanwhile, a flourishing black-market trade in aids to concentration, mental agility and wakefulness had sprung up among the fifth and seventh years. Harry and Ron were much tempted by the bottle of Baruffio's Brain Elixir offered to them by Ravenclaw sixth year Eddie Carmichael, who swore it was solely responsible for the nine "Outstanding" O.W.L.s he had gained the previous summer and was offering the whole pint for a mere twelve Galleons. Ron assured Harry he would reimburse him for his half the moment he left Hogwarts and got a job, but before they could close the deal, Hermione confiscated the bottle from Carmichael and poured the contents down a toilet.

"Hermione, we wanted to buy that!" shouted Ron.

"Don't be stupid," she snarled. "You might as well take Harold Dingle's powdered dragon claw and have done with it."

"Dingle's got powdered dragon claw?" said Ron eagerly.

"Not anymore," said Hermione. "I confiscated that too. None of these things actually works you know–"

"Dragon claw does work!" said Ron. "It's supposed to be incredible, really gives your brain a boost, you come over all cunning for a few hours – Hermione, let me have a pinch, go on, it can't hurt–"

"This stuff can," said Hermione grimly. "I've had a look at it, and it's actually dried doxy droppings."

This information took the edge off Harry and Ron's desire for brain stimulants.

"She's right, boys," Riley said as she and Aria walked up, Riley's arms folded as she leaned against the doorway. "In the past three hours, I've confiscated eight 'powdered dragon claws' and only one of them was the real stuff, which the guy was selling for eighty Galleons. So tell me, do you have that kind of money, Ron? And I don't mean you, Harry," she said, looking at Harry as he opened his mouth. When he closed it, Riley said, "This is a total scam. I saw the same thing at Silvergates every year. Kids see younger and older kids getting desperate, so they think it's a quick chance to make some gold, so they sucker kids into thinking that it's the real stuff, and when it doesn't work, they've not only made themselves look like desperate fools, but they then think that there is something wrong with themselves, not the merchandise."

Harry and Ron didn't pursue that any longer. In fact, the subject didn't really even get brought up again.

The next day, Monday, everyone was sitting in the Great Hall and waiting to take their Charms exams. Sitting there, Harry couldn't help but remember the Pensieve, and Snape's dreams. Looking around, he could hardly believe that his father, Sirius and Riley's dad had once sat in these exact same seats. Looking over at Riley, who was leaning back lazily in her chair, her head leaned back with her arms folded as she closed her eyes, Harry couldn't help but wonder how alike Riley really was to her mom and dad, but he knew he would never know.

Then, at half-past nine, they were called forward class by class. When they were all seated and quiet, McGonogall said, "You may begin," and turned over an enormous hourglass on the desk beside her, on which were also spare quills, ink bottles, and rolls of parchment.

Riley looked down at her paper instantly and began to read the first question. She smiled and looked around as she saw her friends all suddenly looking confident. She then returned to her paper and began to write.

"Well, it wasn't too bad, was it?" asked Hermione anxiously in the entrance hall two hours later, still clutching the exam paper. "I'm not sure I did myself justice on the Cheering Charms, I just ran out of time – did you put in the countercharm for hiccups? I wasn't sure whether I out to, it felt like too much – and on question twenty-three–"

"Hermione," said Ron sternly, "we've been through this before... We're not going through every exam afterward, it's bad enough doing them once."

"Oh, come on, Ron," Aria said with a smile. "Hermione is right, it wasn't too bad. And Hermione, I didn't put down the countercharms, but I think I heard Riley and a few kids from Ravenclaw say that they did." Hermione visibly relaxed, and Aria said, "So don't worry about it."

The fifth years ate lunch with the rest of the school (the four House tables appeared over the lunch hour) and then trooped off into the small chamber beside the Great Hall, where they were to wait until called for their practical examination. As small groups of students were called in alphabetical order, those left behind muttered incantations and practiced wand movements, occasionally poking one another in the back or eye by mistake.

Harry looked around anxiously to see what the others were doing. He saw that Aria had pulled out a book she'd grabbed at lunch and was now reading about Potions, not seemingly worried at all. Riley was listening to her MP3 player, her back against the wall with her arms folded and her head slightly bobbing with the music, and Hermione was muttering to herself over and over again.

Hermione's name was called. Trembling, she left the chamber with Anthony Goldstein, Gregory Goyle, Daphne Greengrass and Aria Hardwick.

"They'll be fine," Ron said. "Remember she got a hundred and twelve percent on one of our Charms tests?"

Ten minutes later, Professor Flitwick called, "O'Malley, Riley – Parkinson, Pansy – Patil, Padma – Patil, Parvati – Potter, Harry."

"Good luck," said Ron quietly. Harry walked into the Great Hall, walking alongside Riley, who hadn't taken her earphones out, but heard every word Professor Flitwick said.

"Professor Tofty is free, Potter," squeaked Professor Flitwick, who was standing just inside the door. Professor Flitwick led Riley away to another examiner, a woman by the name of Professor Gretchen Fielders.

* * *

Riley walked into the room where Professor Flitwick had led her, taking off her earphones and setting them inside her robes as she went in. She reached back for her wand, which was placed between her skirt hem and her back, and she held it easily at her side, turning it over in her hand as she prepared.

"Miss O'Malley," Professor Fielders said, flipping through her chart. "Am I mistaken, or were you at the Ministry this summer for a hearing over your expulsion?"

Riley swallowed hard, trying to keep her cool as she said calmly, "Yes, Professor, I was. It was not debated, only affirmed there. I did not fight the charges."

"So I remember," Professor Fielders said, and then smiled at Riley. "I'm glad to see that you've made yourself settled here at Hogwarts, and according to your teachers, you've kept a very level head and interesting views, considering that you've been placed in Slytherin." Riley relaxed somewhat, glad to see that her past wasn't going to play a part in this, that Draco wasn't right.

Professor Fielders nodded and said, "All right, Miss O'Malley, I would like you to take this goblet and levitate it, followed by spinning it around in the air."

Riley easily followed the instructions that were presented to her, levitating, rotating, changing the color of a rabbit from white to black to blue and then back to white. She finished her rotation with levitating an anvil, which took much more concentration, and she wasn't surprised when Professor Fielders gave her a glowing report. She walked outside, smiling confidently at Aria and her friends.

The next day was Transfigurations. Riley felt even more excited for today, because she knew that the day would be a breeze. Sure enough, she was brought in on her own, the only one to have been done so, and was faced by a Professor Tofty, the same professor that had been grading Harry all along. Riley successfully transfigured a bird into a goblet, a guinea pig into a pin cushion, caused her guinea pig to vanish, and even managed to conjure it back.

"Very well done, very well done," Professor Tofty said, obviously pleased. He hesitated, and then looked around, saying in a low voice, "Miss O'Malley, the reason that I brought you in here alone is because I've been asked to deliver something to you." Riley raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as she listened to the man continue. He pulled out a folded up bundle of papers and said, "I work with the man who heads the Department of Animagus Registry; and when he found out that I was coming in here, he requested that I give you this." He held the paper out to Riley, and said, "Well done, Miss O'Malley, you're now a full-fledged, registered Animagus."

Riley took the papers, surprised and thrilled, and said gratefully, "Thank you, Professor Tofty."

"Now, might I ask for a demonstration?" Professor Tofty asked, an eyebrow raised. "For an extra point?"

Riley felt that it was the least she could do, considering that he'd just given her the right to transform at any time she pleased.

"I'll bet that was a breeze for you," Ron muttered as he watched Riley come out, a grin on her face.

Riley ignored Ron and looked at Aria, who had a big, dorky grin on her face. "You, too?" Riley asked, unable to hide her smile.

Aria pulled her hands out from behind her back and held up a thick bundle of papers similar to Riley's. Riley laughed and walked over to hug Aria, feeling as though the day couldn't get better.

Wednesday was the Herbology exam, and Thursday Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry was thrilled when everyone from the DA, including Neville,w as able to come out with a smile on their face because they were able to do all of the spells that had been asked of them, and well. Harry also knew that, had Tofty asked them to, they could have produced patronuses like Tofty had of him.

Riley found herself so busy trying to keep up with the exams that she'd been forced to miss out on her meetings with Fred, which disappointed her, but at the same time, the comment that Draco had made before the exams started still haunted her, and every night, he would give her a dark look before going to bed, and she had a feeling that by staying in for a few nights, he wouldn't grow any more suspicious.

Over the weekend everyone in their fifth year continued studying, Riley going as far as to help some of the Slytherin kids prepare for their Potions exams. Although he wasn't as friendly as normal, Draco had accepted her help, only to leave immediately after they had finished at midnight. He didn't say another word, and Riley felt fear for the first time, that maybe it was possible that Draco knew the truth. She didn't know why that terrified her, because if he had, surely he would have told Umbridge about it, right?


	43. Chapter 42: Just Like Your Mother

Chapter Forty-four: Just Like Your Mother

Riley turned her head in alarm when she heard a screaming sound. Her eyes widened in panic when she saw Harry screaming, gripping his head and leaning over on his desk. She looked around and saw Ron, Hermione, Aria and their friends looking at Harry in panic. All of a sudden, Harry fell out of his desk and hit the floor.

"Harry!" Hermione, Ron and Riley exclaimed as they ran to his side. His eyes began to open and he looked around wildly. He was sweating hard, gripping at his forehead, and Riley realized that his scar must be hurting. Even so, nothing like that scream had ever escaped Harry's mouth when Riley had been around him, no matter how badly his scar hurt.

Riley watched as Professor Tofty came through and helped Harry to his feet, leading him away. She stood up, looking around, and she saw an elderly witch say aloud, "It's all right, children! Return to your examinations."

Riley hesitated, then walked back over to her desk. She looked at the half dozen questions she had left and quickly began scribbling down the answers. She didn't give a ton of extra details like she had been doing earlier in an attempt to get the most credit possible. She wrote down just what she needed to, nothing more. Then she heard something, and focused her hearing on what was going outside with Harry.

"I'm – I'm fine, sir," Harry stammered. "Really... I just fell asleep... Had a nightmare..."

"Pressure of examinations!" said the old wizard sympathetically. "It happens, young man, it happens! Now, a cooling drink of water, and perhaps you will be ready to reutrn to the Great Hall? The examination is nearly over, but you may be able to round off your last answer nicely?"

"Yes," said Harry wildly. "I mean... no... I've done – done as much as I can, I think..."

Riley's eyes widened when she recognized the tone in his voice. She quickly finished the answers, then stood up and carried them to the witch at the front. She said under her voice, "Professor, I've finished my test, but I think I need to go see Madam Pomfrey."

"Not feeling too well yourself?" the witch asked, sounding concerned.

"Afraid not," Riley said politely.

The witch nodded and took the test from Riley. "Well then, if you're done, you may leave." Riley smiled and thanked her before she scurried off. She saw Aria look after her in surprise, and whispered under her breath, "Hurry when your done. Harry needs us." She saw Aria blink in acknowledgment and return to her test. Once outside, Riley looked around for Harry and saw him pacing in panic. She walked up to him and asked quickly, "Harry, what's going on?"

"It's Sirius," Harry stammered, looking at Riley with wild eyes. "He's got him... Voldemort's got him... In the, the Department of Mysteries. I need help. I have to find him, to-to rescue him."

"Are you sure this dream was real?" Riley asked, looking Harry in the eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure," Harry said in a rushed voice. "Can you help me?"

Riley nodded and said, "Let me go change, but yes, I'll help you. We have about ten minutes before the exam is done, but then they'll be out and you can ask Ron, Hermione and Aria for help. But wait until I'm back before you do anything, all right?"

Harry nodded, but said nothing. Riley then began to run as fast as she possibly could back to the dorm room. She ran up the stairs and into the common room, running into the girl's dormitory. She quickly changed out of her robes and pants and into a white tanktop, jeans and tennis shoes. She then grabbed her wand and leather jacket and raced down the stairs.

Riley was surprised when she reached the common room to find Snape standing there, eying her. He had been waiting for her, but how had he known where'd she be?

Snape said in a cold voice, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Out," Riley said, glaring at Snape.

"Out where?" Snape insisted.

"None of your business," Riley said coldly in return.

"It _is_ my business, I am in charge of you," Snape insisted

"What are you, a babysitter?" Riley asked sarcastically, and Snape narrowed his eyes. "I'm not going to get you in trouble, so get over yourself."

"You're not leaving this castle," Snape said coldly.

"And who's going to stop me?" Riley asked, her wand still in her hand. She looked Snape in the eye and said, "You're a member of the Order, Snape, so as a member of the Black Ravens, I'm telling you unequivocally to _back off!_"

Snape's eyes flared in anger and surprise, and Riley said, "Oh yeah, didn't you know I knew about you, about the Order? You can't expect me to spend the winter with the Weasleys and not find out about the Order of the Pheonix. What's more," she said, drawing closer. "I've known about it since _before_ the holidays. In fact, it was _Dumbledore_ who approached me and Aria in the summer and offered us the chance to come to Hogwarts. Aria's a member of the Order, or didn't you know?" she asked smartly. Snape's eyes narrowed angrily, and Riley continued to say on a flat note, "Ever wonder why Dumbledore had Aria and me take place in the fifth year, when we could have easily been in our seventh?" When she saw Snape's cold expression, she said in a bark, "Dumbledore wanted us to keep an eye on Harry and his friends without him knowing, to make sure that nothing dangerous happened. That's why Aria chose to be part of Gryffindor instead of Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. And the reason that _I'm_ in _Slytherin_," she said, her eyes as cold as her voice, "is because Dumbledore wanted me to keep an eye out over them. I had a choice of which House I wanted to be in, and I chose Slytherin because it meant that I could make sure that nothing bad went on."

"You're treading thin waters," Snape growled.

"All water, by scientific definition, is of the same density, unless collected in different amounts," Riley said sarcastically back at him. She set her wand in her back pocket and said, "I'm not going to get in your way, Snape, but you'd better stay out of mine."

"You believe you have the authority to order me around?" Snape said angrily. "You, the only Black Raven left, who probably doesn't even understand what it really means to be one."

"Don't you dare question by understanding of what it means to be a Black Raven," Riley said in almost a hiss, her eyes flashing as she looked at Snape. "You have no idea what I'm capable of." When Snape said nothing, she said, "No, I don't have the authority to order you to do anything, but I'm telling you nonetheless. I'm not afraid to attack you, and I know that something is going on tonight. I'm not letting Harry go into it alone, even if his friends are there. So if you want to get away without a fight and explaining this to Umbridge, then you'd better back off _now_."

Snape's eyes narrowed to slits of dislike. "You're just like your mother," he said coldly. "Arrogant, cocky, and vindictive."

Riley pulled on her jacket and gave a jerk of her collar around her neck, her eyes narrowed as she looked back at Snape. "You're right." She zipped it up right underneath her chest. "I am." With that, she stormed over to the exit. She was about to leave when she said over her shoulder, "By the way, if you breathe a word to Harry, or anyone but Dumbledore about what I told you, you'll find out just how much of a Black Raven I _really_ am." With that, she stormed out.

Snape watched as Riley left, then looked forward again. Dumbledore hadn't given him all of the details, not that Snape could blame him for having done so recently. Student spies within the school? That hadn't been on Snape's radar, not that it surprised him. It was a perfect idea, he just hadn't been ready for it.

Riley raced down the stairs, her mind buzzing as she thought of everything that she knew about the Department of Mysteries. She ran back to the entrance hall and was surprised to see Harry arguing with Hermione and Ron. Riley was even more surprised to see that Ginny, Aria and Luna were with them now.

"Wait," said Hermione suddenly. "Wait... Harry, they _can_ help."

Harry and Ron looked at her.

"Listen," she said urgently, "Harry, we need to establish whether Sirius really has left headquarters –"

"I've told you, I saw –"

"Harry, I'm begging you, please!" said Hermione desperately. "Please, let's just check that Sirius isn't at home before we go charging off to London – if we find out he's not there then I swear I won't try and stop you, I'll come, I'll d-do whatever it takes to try and save him –"

"Sirius is being tortured NOW!" shouted Harry. "

"But if this is a trick of V-Voldemort's – Harry, we've got to check, we've got to –"

"How?" Harry demanded. "How are we going to check?"

"We'll have to use Umbridge's fire and see if we can contact him," said Hermione, who looked positively terrified at the thought. "We'll have to draw Umbridge away, but we'll need lookouts, and that's where we can use Ginny, Luna, Aria and – Riley!"

Hermione had seen Riley for the first time as Riley drew within ten feet. Riley frowned as they all faced her, and she said, "I want to help. Just tell me what to do."

Harry seemed somewhat relieved at her arrival. He turned and Luna said, "Yes, we'll do it, but when you say 'Sirius', are you talking about Stubby Boardman?"

Nobody answered her.

"Luna, we're going to have to have a talk later," Aria said awkwardly.

"Okay," Harry said aggressively to Hermione. "Okay, if you can think of a way of doing this quickly, I"m with you, otherwise I'm going to the Department of Mysteries right now –"

"The Department of Mysteries?" said Luna, looking mildly surprised. "But how are you going to get there?"

Again, Harry ignored her.

"Right," said Hermione, twisting her hands together and pacing up and down between the desks. "Right... well... one of us has to go and find Umbridge and – and send her off in the wrong direction, keep her away from her office. They could tell her – I don't know – that Peeves is up to something awful as usual..."

Aria smiled and said, "No need to involve Peeves." She looked at Riley and said, "I've got the perrr-fect solution." She did a perfect imitation of a cat's purr, which didn't surprise Riley at all.

* * *

Glass suddenly shattered from all of the rooms along the South corridor. Riley stood in the hallway, imagining every problem that she'd had with Dolores Umbridge, clutching her fists as she felt the detention marks from last months till burning into her skin. She focused harder, suddenly imagining seeing Snape less than half an hour ago, that look on his face, the sound of his voice, saying that she wasn't fit to be a Black Raven, mocking her.

That did it.

All of a sudden, Riley could hear glass shattering everywhere, and not just in the south corridor anymore. Glass broke out of all kinds of windows, vials and beakers within Snape's room, containers of potions and tests that Umridge had done breaking all along her walls, mirrors, windows, the jars of leaves and ceriums in Trelawney's old room. Riley smiled as she opened her eyes, proud of her work. She then ran off, thankful that for the first time in her life, her anger had come with a good use.

Riley ran back to where the others were waiting, and she hit fists with Aria as she said, "Corridor is a disaster. Go, Ron!" she hissed at Ron. Ron took off, and Riley said to Harry, "Go, Harry."

Harry then took off with Hermione down the hallway, and Riley said to the others, "I'm going to go take the hall down there." She nodded north. "I want to be as far away from the glass mess as possible, so no one gets any suspicions."

"Right," the girls said, nodding.

Riley began to walk away, only to have Aria stop her and look her in the eye, saying, "You let it go?"

Riley smiled and said, "Let's put it this way, it'll take them hours to clean up after that bit of stress relief."

Aria shook her head with a smile and said, "You feeling better?"

"Oh yeah," Riley said with a smile, and began walking backward. "You rock, Aria!" With that, she ran off.


	44. Chapter 43: Out Of The Fire

Chapter Forty-three: Out of the Fire

* * *

Harry was filled with panic. The idea of Sirius being hurt, of being held captive by Voldemort while he waited for Harry was unthinkable. Harry could barely comprehend it. Still, he knew that Hermione wouldn't help him yet, not without proof.

Hermione, Ron, Luna, Ginny, Riley, Aria and Riley were all outside, giving Harry a chance to talk to Sirius. They waited, not sure what to expect.

Not sure what else to do, Harry stuck his head into the fire after calling for Sirius's house by name and number. There was nobody there. He expected this, yet was not prepared for the molten wave of dread and panic that seemed to burst through his stomach floor at the sight of the deserted room.

"Sirius?" he shouted. "Sirius, are you there?"

His voice echoed around the room, but there was no answer except a tiny scuffing sound to the right of the fire.

"Who's there?" he called, wondering whether it was just a mouse.

Kreacher the house-elf came creeping into view. He looked highly delighted about something, though he seemed to have recently sustained a nasty injury to both hands, which were heavily bandaged.

"It's the Potter boy's head in the fire," Kreacher informed the empty kitchen, stealing furtive, oddly triumphant glances at Harry. "What has he come for, Kreacher wonders?"

"Where's Sirius, Kreacher?" Harry demanded.

The house-elf gave a wheezy chuckle. "Master has gone out, Harry Potter."

"Where's he gone? _Where's he gone, Kreacher?_"

Kreacher merely cackled.

"I'm warning you!" said Harry, fully aware that his scope for inflicting punishment upon Kreacher was almost nonexistent in this position. "What about Lupin? Mad-eye? Any of them, are any of them here?"

"Nobody here but Kreacher!" said the elf gleefully, and turning away from Harry he began to walk slowly toward the door at the end of the kitchen. "Kreacher thinks he will have a little chat with his Mistress now, yes, he hasn't had a chance in a long time, Kreacher's master has been keeping him away from her–"

"Where has Sirius gone?" Harry yelled after the elf, "_Kreacher, has he gone to the Department of Mysteries?_"

Kreacher stopped in his tracks. Harry could just make out the back of his bald head through the forest of chair legs before him.

* * *

Riley waited outside of Umbridge's office, right around the next corner. She waited, her hand back on the handle of her wand. She was keeping all of her senses on the far corner, waiting for something to happen. She knew that something was bound to happen, as much as the idea didn't appeal to her.

All of a sudden, something hit Riley and sent her flying up against the far wall. She heard someone – probably Ginny – yell out her name in panic, but Riley was so thrown by surprise that she couldn't respond. In fact, she realized quickly that she could barely move at all. It was as though her entire body had been turned to jello, and her vision blurred.

Riley heard voices murmur in panic, voices growing muffled all around her. Riley then felt someone clasp their hand over her mouth, grabbing her wand out of her pocket and sticking it right against her back.

* * *

"Master does not tell poor Kreacher where he is going," said the elf quietly.

"But you know!" shouted Harry. "Don't you? You know where he is!"

There was a moment's silence, then the elf let out his loudest cackle yet. "Master will not come back from the Department of Mysteries!" he said gleefully. "Kreacher and his Mistress are alone again!"

And he scurried forward and disappeared through the door to the hall.

"You-!"

But before he could utter a single curse or insult, Harry felt a great pain at the top of his head. He inhaled a lot of ash and, choking, found himself being dragged backward through the flames until, with a horrible abruptness, he was staring up into the wide, pallid face of Professor Umbridge, who had dragged him backward out of the fire by the hair and was now bending his neck back as far as it would go as though she was going to slit his throat.

"You think," she whispered, bending Harry's neck back even farther, so that he was looking up at the ceiling above him, "that after two nifflers I was going to let one more foul, scavenging little creature enter my office without my knowledge? I had Stealth Sensoring spells placed all around my doorway after the last one got in, you foolish boy. Take his wand," she barked at someone he could not see, and he felt a hand grope inside his chest pocket of his robes and remove the wand. "Hers, too..."

Harry heard a scuffle over by the door and knew that Hermione had just had her wand wrestled from her as well."

"I want to know why you are in my office," said Umbridge, shaking the fist clutching his hair so that he staggered.

"I was – trying to get my Firebolt!" Harry croaked.

"Liar." She shook his head again. "Your Firebolt is under strict guard in the dungeons, as you very well know, Potter. You had your head in my fire. With whom have you been communicating?"

"No one–" said Harry, trying to pull away from her. He felt several hairs part company with his scalp.

"Liar!" shouted Umbridge. She threw him from her, and he slammed into the desk. Now he could see Hermione pinned up against the wall by Millicent Bulstrode, her arm wrenched behind her back defensively. Malfoy was standing with his arm around Riley's neck in a chokehold, her own wand pointed at her back. She'd been hit with some kind of hex or jinx, because Harry could see that she no longer had use of her limbs, but was instead dangling from his arms. Millicent had Harry's wand in her hand, and Hermione's in her back pocket.

There was a commotion outside and several large Slytherins entered, each gripping Ron, Ginny, Luna and – to Harry's bewilderment – Neville, who was trapped in a stranglehold by Crabbe, not to mention that he looked in imminent danger of suffocation. Fear raced inside of Harry, along with disappointment. They had been caught. The only one that he couldn't see from here was Aria. Did that mean that she'd managed to go without getting caught? He hoped so, because that meant that there might be someone to rescue them from the horrors that he knew was about to happen.

"Got 'em all," said Warrington, shoving Ron roughly forward into the room. "That one," he poked a thick finger at Neville, "tried to stop me from taking her," he pointed at Ginny, who was trying to kick the shins of the large Slytherin girl holding her, "so I brought him along, too."

"Good, good," said Umbridge, watching Ginny's struggles. "Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, doesn't it?"

"Go to hell, you fat old toad," Riley muttered through gritted teeth, apparently her mouth being the one muscle that did work. In reaction, Malfoy tightened his grip on her neck, pulling her upward and against him, causing her to gasp in shock.

Malfoy whispered in Riley's ear, just loud enough for her to hear, "Bet you're wishing you'd sided with us now."

Riley muttered through gritted teeth, "Drop dead."

Malfoy suddenly struck Riley over the back of her head with his fist and wand, causing her to moan and her head to fall forward.

Umbridge walked over to stand in front of Riley, holding her wand out at the Slytherin girl. Harry began to panic, recognizing the look of madness in Umbridge's eyes. Unfortunately, without his wand and his friends in her captivity, there was nothing he could do. Umbridge pointed the wand right at Riley's chest and said through narrowed eyes, "You, the traitor to Slytherin. You know, I never understood why the Sorting Hat put you in Slytherin, the only House that has remained loyal to me. The bad egg, I suppose. _Stupefy!"_ she suddenly yelled, and the spell hit directly against Riley's chest.

Riley let out a loud gasp of pain, Malfoy holding onto her tightly so that she couldn't escape or resist. "Riley!" several voices said in panic, all of Riley's friends. Riley closed her eyes, wincing as she kept them slammed shut in pain.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Umbridge asked with a smile. "You know, I think I'm going to have Argus take you downstairs and show you what whips feel like."

"No, Professor," Malfoy said, surprising everyone for a moment, Harry's alarm only peaking when he said with a malicious tone, "Let _me_ take care of her."

Umbridge hesitated, looking at Malfoy as though she suspected him of trickery, and then she said curtly, "Very well, Draco, go ahead, do with her as you will. Just make sure that it's long and painful."

"No problem," Malfoy said, turning around and shoving Riley out the room.

Harry shared a panicked look with all of his friends, each of which seemed to be thinking the same thing. That look in Malfoy's eye just now... He was going to hurt her, really hurt her, and if he took out all of the vengeance that Harry guessed he had in him, Riley wouldn't survive this.

* * *

Draco shoved Riley forward onto the dry grass, her body unable to move and her chest still throbbing from the stunning spell. "You know," he said in casual voice, turning Riley's wand over in his fingers, not even looking at her as she struggled to move. "It didn't have to be like this. You could have been amazing, great with us and use your power for our side, the winning side. But no," he said, sounding annoyed. "You had to go and side with Potter and his lot."

Riley struggled to raise her head high enough so that she could breathe through the grass. Draco continued to walk around her, pacing as he spoke aloud, "I wanted you, Riley, I really did. I wasn't trying to use you like everyone seemed to think, and I didn't want to change a thing about you. _Incarcerous_!" he suddenly snapped, pointing Riley's wand at her as she began to get to her .

Riley suddenly felt ropes spin around her neck and wrists, tying her wrists behind her back and pulling her up to her feet so that Draco could face her. "Draco," she rasped, barely able to speak. "Stop this. Let me go."

"Why?" Draco asked, walking right up in front of Riley and looking her straight in the eye, his own narrowed and filled with anger, hurt and betrayal. "So you can go back to that Bloodtraitor, Fred Weasley? So you can sneak off and go make out with him like I've seen you do _every three nights_ for the past _three weeks!_"

Riley's eyes widened in alarm. He knew?

Draco's eyes glinted and he said bitterly, as though reading Riley's mind, "That's right, I know about your trips. I've been watching you, Riley, hoping that you'd come around." He suddenly lashed out with Riley's wand, a huge gash suddenly ripping out from Riley's ribcage, not even breaking through the skin. Riley let out a moan of pain, but didn't scream. She couldn't scream, couldn't give him that much power, to know that he had that kind of power over her. His eyes narrowed with distaste and he said darkly, "But I guess I'm going to have to break it out of you."

Draco glared at Riley reached up with one hand, holding onto her hair, yanking it hard back so as to cause her pain. The ropes around her neck disappeared, but she remained standing, restrained by the ropes, and he forced her to look him in the eyes. He looked at her and said firmly, "I wanted you. I wanted to be with you, and I thought you wanted that, too." He suddenly thrust her wand in the other direction, gashes ripping out on her skin on her back. She let out a gasp and thrust her head back, unable to stop from screaming this time.

Riley heard a pair of gasps, and pulled her head back just in time to see Hermione and Harry walking away, down the pathway with Umbridge, all three looking over at Draco and Riley. Umbridge looked ecstatic, but Hermione was clasping a hand over her mouth when she saw Riley, blood draining from her mouth as she coughed it up. Harry's eyes widened in horror, only for Umbridge to urge them on further down the path.

Once alone again, Draco narrowed his eyes and said, "Like the pain, Riley? Can you feel it, the blood as it drains from your wounds? Well, get used to it, because this is all you're going to feel from now on. Umbridge has put me in charge of you." He suddenly hit Riley with the backside of his hand against her cheek, knocking her backward.

"Draco," Riley rasped, barely able to talk. "Stop. You don't want this."

"You're right, I don't," Draco asked, walking over and straddling Riley from behind. He grabbed her in a chokehold and pulled her up so that her ear was right by his mouth, and he said, "I didn't want this. This is exactly what I _didn't_ want, to fight you and have to treat you like an enemy, but it's what I got, because apparently _I'm_ exactly what you _don't_ want. No, you chose that Weasley." Draco suddenly took Riley by the shoulders and spun her over, so that he was straddling her from above, looking right down at her, her eyes filled with confusion and dislike.

"Can you blame me, if you're just going to kill me because I didn't choose you?" she asked, her voice like venom.

"I'm not going to kill you," Draco said, sounding almost hurt. "I could never kill you, Riley. That's not what this is about."

"Then what–"

"_Pain_," Draco answered before Riley could finish her sentence. Her eyes widened in horror, and he narrowed his own at her, not bothering to hide the pain or sense of betrayal that he felt. "You didn't care enough to tell me, to choose me. You made me fall for you, only to rip it right out from under me. You have no idea the pain that feels like."

"I'll bet you I do," Riley said, imagining the time she spent arguing with Fred because of Draco.

Draco ignored her and said, "No, you left me behind completely without a second thought. Now, I want you to feel the pain that you put on me, to _feel_ it."

Riley narrowed her eyes up at Draco and said sincerely in a cold voice, "I am so sorry, Draco, that you had to take it this way."

"It is what it is," Draco said, no hatred in his eyes or voice, only a cold, dark look. "And the truth hurts."

"So will this. _Stupefy!_" a voice said, and Draco was suddenly hit with a spell that sent him flying. Riley's eyes widened in alarm when she saw Ginny run over. Ginny took her wand down the robes around Riley's wrists, burning them off, and then muttered a counterjinx that allowed Riley to be able to move again.

Riley looked around in panic for her wand, which she saw was lying a few feet away from Draco, who was slowly beginning to get to his feet. She held her hand out, struggling to get to her hands and knees, and the wand suddenly came flying back to her hand.

Ginny held her hand out to Riley, and Riley took it, pulling herself up. "You all right?" Ginny asked worriedly.

Riley didn't tell her about the wounds on her insides, and said through a stiff voice, "I'll live."

"What about _this _guy?" Neville said as he walked over with Ron, Luna and Aria. He was glaring at Draco, who was moaning from the Stunning spell, but otherwise seemed unconscious.

Riley looked over at Draco, debating whether or not to kill him. Finally, she said in a seemingly passive tone, "Just leave him." In spite of her personal desires to slug the life right out of Draco's body, she knew that there wasn't time; and she wasn't willing to admit her weakness and the truth about what had just happened, not at this time. "He'll have hell to reckon with once Dumbledore's back."

Ginny suddenly grabbed a firm hold of Riley's arm, stopping her as the others continued down the path. Riley looked at her in surprise, only to see a dark, confused look in Ginny's eyes as she searched Riley's. "Why did you do that?"

"What do you mean?" Riley asked, trying to sound stupid in spite of her racing heart.

"I heard him talking," Ginny said quietly, "There at the end. I know what he said to you, and what he did. Why did you just let them walk away without hurting him back?"

"It's fine," Riley said through narrowed eyes, trying to appear stronger than she really felt. "He'll have to live with what he's done. We don't have time to worry about him, and he's done for for the moment. Give me a minute, and I'll be ready to go." She gave a wave of her wand over herself, and a white mist seemed to shower over her. She could feel the skin of her wounds begin to heal itself, though she knew that there was still some damage. She could take care of that later, but for now, she needed to be patched up so that she wouldn't bleed to death. When she was able to move easily again without ripping anything open, Riley said firmly, "All right, let's go."


	45. Chapter 44: Midnight Flight

Chapter Forty-four: Midnight Flight

"What do we do now?" Luna asked in confusion as they ran down the hill.

"We find Harry and Hermione first," Ron said. "Then we go to the Department of Mysteries."

"Will someone please explain why we're going there?" Neville asked in confusion.

"Long story short," Riley said as they ran. "Sirius Black isn't the murderer that everyone thinks he is. The person who did the crimes that Black was convicted of works for Voldemort and framed Black, and Black is actually Harry's godfather, Voldemort's got him, and we're going to the Department of Mysteries to try to stop Voldemort from killing him."

"Oh, well, that makes a lot more sense," Neville said, sounding surprised. "Wait, how do we know that You-Know-Who has him?"

"That's an even longer story that even _I_ can't explain," Riley said. "Just trust us."

The group continued running until they saw Hermione and Harry begin to run up.

"Riley!" Hermione yelled in panic. "Are you okay? What did Malfoy –"

"He didn't do anything serious," Riley lied. She wasn't going to tell them, anyone, about what had happened between her and Malfoy. She was angry enough about it, and hurt, she wasn't going to give the others a reason to run back and kill him, even Aria.

"So," said Ron, pushing aside a low hanging branch and holding out Harry's wand, "had any ideas?"

"How did you get away?" asked Harry in amazement, taking his wand from Ron.

"Couple of Stunners, a Disarming Charm, Neville brought off a really nice little Impendiment Jinx," said Ron airily, now handing back Hermion'es wand too. "But Ginny was best, she got Malfoy – Bat-Bogey hex – it was superb, his whole face was covered in the great flapping things. Got him right before he could curse Riley, or whatever he was doing."

"You okay?" Harry asked, looking Riley in the eyes.

Riley blinked and then said, "I'll live. He didn't get the chance to do any major damage to me, thanks to Ginny."

"What've you done with Umbridge?" Ron asked.

"She got carried away," said Harry. "By a herd of centaurs."

"And they left you behind?" asked Ginny, looking astonished.

"No, they got chased off by Grawp," said Harry.

"Who's Grawp?" Luna asked interestedly.

"Hagrid's little brother," said Ron promptly. "Anyway, never mind that now. Harry, what did you find out in the fire? Has You-Know-Who got Sirius or –"

"Yes," said Harry as his scar gave another painful prickle, "and I'm sure Sirius is still alive, but I can't see how we're going to get there to help him."

They all fell silent, looking rather scared. The problem facing them seemed insurmountable.

"Well, we'll have to fly, won't we?" said Luna in the closest thing to a matter-of-fact voice Harry had ever heard her use.

"Okay," said Harry irritably, rounding on her, "first of all, 'we aren't doing anything if you're including yourself in that, and second of all, Ron's the only one with a broomstick that isn't being guarded by a security troll, so –"

"Excuse me?" Riley asked, her arms folded and Aria looking just as offended.

"I've got a broom, too!" said Ginny.

"Yeah, but you're not coming," said Ron angrily. "Riley and Aria, fine, that was part of the original agreement, I guess. But you, no."

"Excuse me, but I care about what happens to Sirius as much as you do!" said Ginny, her jaw set so that her resemblance to Fred and George was suddenly striking.

"You're too –"

"I'm three years older than you were when you fought You-Know-Who over the Sorcerer's Stone," she said fiercely, "and it's because of me that Malfoy's still on the ground outside the castle instead of beating the life out of Riley."

Riley didn't argue with that.

"Yeah but –"

"We are all in the D.A. together," said Neville quietly. "It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? And this is the first chance we've had to do something real – or was that all just a game or something?"

"No – of course it wasn't –" said Harry impatiently.

"Then we should come, too," said Neville simply. "We want to help."

"That's right," said Luna smiling happily.

Harry's eyes met Ron's. He knew that Ron was thinking exactly what he was: If he could have chosen any members of the D.A. in addition to himself, Ron, Hermione, Aria and Riley, to join him in the attempt to rescue Sirius, he would not have picked Ginny, Neville or Luna.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway," said Harry through gritted teeth, "because we still don't know how to get there –"

"I thought we'd settled that?" said Luna maddeningly. "We're flying!"

"Look," said Ron, barely containing his anger, "you might be able to fly without a broomstick but the rest of us can't sprout wings whenever we – do"

"There are other ways of flying than with a broomstick," said Luna serenely.

Riley's eyes widened when she realized what Luna was talking about, induced by her sense of smell. "Nice idea, Luna," she said, sounding impressed. "I never would thought of that."

Luna smiled at Riley proudly.

"What are you two going on about?" Harry asked, confused.

Riley pointed behind Harry and said, "Look."

Harry whirled around. Standing between two trees, their white eyes gleaming eerily, were two thestrals, watching the whispered conversation as though they understood every word.

"Yes!" he whispered, moving toward them. They tossed their reptilian heads, throwing back long black manes, and Harry stretched out his hand eagerly and patted the nearest one's shining neck. How could he have thought them ugly?

"Is it those mad horse things?" said Ron uncertainly, staring at a point slightly to the left of the thestral Harry was patting. "Those ones you can't see unless you've watched someone snuff it?"

"Yeah," said Harry.

"How many?"

"Just two."

"Well, we need three," said Hermione, who was still looking a little shaken, but determined just the same.

"Four Hermione," said Ginny scowling.

"Uh, I believe _eight_ is the correct number," Riley said, frowning seriously.

Harry groaned and said, "Okay, fine, it's your choice. But unless we can find more-"

"That won't be a problem," Aria said with a knowing smile.

"Why not?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Because in case you haven't noticed, you and Hermione are both covered in blood," she said coolly, "and we know Hagrid lures them with raw meat, so that's probably why these two turned up in the first place..."

Harry felt a soft tug on his robes at that moment and looked down to see the closest thestral licking his sleeves, which were damp with Grawp's blood. "Okay then," he said, a bright idea occurring. "Ron and I will take these two, and Hermione can stay here with you five and she'll attract more thestrals –"

"I'm not staying behind!" said Hermione furiously.

"There's no need," said Luna, smiling. "Look here come more now... You two must really smell..."

Harry turned his head and saw that no fewer than six or seven thestrals had suddenly appeared and were picking their way through the trees now, their great leathery wings folded tight to their bodies, their eyes gleaming through the darkness. He had no excuse now...

Riley froze as she saw one of the thestrals begin to move over toward her. She looked down and realized that blood must have seeped through her clothes, but not all of the way. Aria seemed to notice the strange reaction of the thestral, and Riley said sourly as the horse walked up to her, "Don't ask."

"All right," Harry said angrily, "pick one and get on then."


	46. Chapter 45: The Department of Mysteries

Chapter Forty-eight: The Department of Mysteries

Harry wound his hand tightly into the mane of the nearest thestral, placed a foot on a stump nearby, and scrambled clumsily onto the horse's silken back. It did not object, but twisted its head around, fangs bared, and attempted to continue its eager licking of his robes.

He found there was a way of lodging his knee between the wing joins that made him feel more secure and looked around at the others. Neville had heaved himself over the back of the next thestral and was now attempting to swing one short leg over the creatures' back. Luna was already in place, sitting sidesaddle and adjusting her robes as though she did this every day. Riley had already jumped up onto the thestral, steering it as though she was used to riding them. Aria, however, got on easily, but looked down at the creature as though she were about to throw up.

When Aria saw Harry's raised eyebrow, she said uneasily, "I'm kind of afraid of heights."

Harry rolled his eyes and looked over at Ron, Hermione and Ginny, who were still standing motionless on the spot, openmouthed and staring.

"What?" he said.

"How're we supposed to get on?" said Ron faintly. "When we can't see the things?"

"Oh it's easy," said Luna, sliding obligingly from her thestral and marching over to him, Hermione and Ginny. "Come here..."

She pulled them over to the other thestrals standing around and one by one managed to help them onto the backs of their mounts. All three looked extremely nervous as she wound their hands into the thestral's manes and told them to grip tightly before getting back onto her own steed.

"This is mad," Ron said faintly, moving his free hand gingerly up and down his horse's neck. "Mad... if I could just see it –"

"Would you prefer that I kill one of us before we leave so that you can be more convenienced?" Riley asked impatiently.

Ron blushed, knowing how stupid his comment had sounded.

"You'd better hope it stays invisible," said Harry darkly. "We all ready, then?"

They all nodded and he saw seven pairs of knees tighten against the thestrals' sides. He looked down at the back of the thestral's glossy black head and swallowed. "Ministry of Magic, visitors' entrance, London, then," he said uncertainly. "Er... if you know... where to go..."

For a moment, his thestral did nothing. Then, with a sweeping movement that nearly unseated him, the wings on either side extended, the horse crouched slowly and then rocketed upward so fast and so steeply that Harry had to clench his arms and legs tightly around the horse to avoid sliding backward over its bony rump. He closed his eyes and put his face down into the horse's silky mane as they burst the topmost branches of the trees and soared out into a bloodred sunset.

Harry did not think he had ever moved so fast: the thestral streaked over the castle, its wide wings hardly beating. The cooling air was slapping Harry's face; eyes screwed up against the rushing wind, he looked around and saw his seven fellows soaring along behind him, each of them hanging on tightly. Riley was one of the few who dared raise her head. She laughed and her thestral suddenly soared up over Harry's, causing him to instinctively look up.

They were over the Hogwarts grounds, they had passed Hogsmede. Harry could see mountains and gullies below them. In the falling darkness Harry saw small collections of lights as they passed over more villages, then a winding road on which a single car was beetling its way home through the hills...

"This is bizarre!" Harry heard Ron yell from somewhere behind him, and he imagined how it must feel to be speed along at this height with no visible means of support...

Twilight fell: The sky turned to a light, dusky purple littered with tiny silver stars, and soon it was only the light of Muggle towns that gave them any clue of how far from the ground they were or how very fast they were traveling. Harry's arms were trapped tightly around his horse's neck as he willed it to go even faster. How much time had elapsed since he had seen Sirius lying on the Department of Mysteries floor/ How much longer would he be able to resist Voldemort? All Harry knew for sure was that Sirius had neither done as Voldemort wanted, nor died, for he was convinced that either outcome would cause him to feel Voldemort's jubilation or fury course run through his own body, making his scar sear as painfully as it had on the night Mr. Weasley was attacked.... By now, Riley had backed her thestral up so that she was just behind Harry, no longer laughing or racing, but just flying.

On they flew through the gathering darkness; Harry's face felt stiff and cold, his legs numb from gripping the thestral's sides so tightly, but he did not dare shift positions lest he slip... He was deaf from the thundering in his ears and his mouth was dry and frozen from the rush of cold night air. He had lost all sense of how far they had come; all his faith was in the beast below him, still streaking purposefully through the night, barely flapping its wings as it sped ever onward...

If they were too late...

_He's still alive, he's still fighting, I can feel it..._

If Voldemort decided Sirius was not going to crack...

_I'd know..._

Harry's stomach gave a jolt. The thestral's head was suddenly pointing toward the ground and he actually slid forward a few inches along its neck. They were descending at last... He heard one of the girls shriek behind him and twisted around dangerously but could see no sign of a falling body... Presumably they had received a shock from the change of position, just as he had.

And now bright orange lights were growing larger and rounder on all sides. They could see the tops of buildings, streams of headlights like luminous insect eyes, squares of pale yellow that were windows. Quite suddenly, it seemed, they were hurtling toward the pavement. Harry gripped the thestral with every last ounce of his strength, braced for a sudden impact, but the horse touched the dark ground as lightly as a shadow and Harry slid from his back, looking around at the street where the overflowing dumpster still stood a short way from the vandalized telephone box, both drained of color in the flat orange glare of the streetlights.

Ron landed a short way away and toppled immediately off his thestral onto the pavement. "Never again," hes aid, struggling to his feet. He made as though to stride away from his thestral, but, unable to see it, collided with its hindquarters and almost fell over again. "Never, ever again... that was the worst–"

Hermione and Ginny touched down on either side of him. Both slid off their mounts a little more gracefully than Ron, though with similar expressions of relief at being back on firm ground. Harry was surprised to see Riley dismount the thestral like a horse and land, looking a little shaken, but more interested in their surroundings. Aria jumped off, ran over to the closest trash can and began to vomit. Neville jumped down, shaking, but Luna dismounted smoothly.

"Where do we go from here, then?" she asked Harry in a politely interested voice, as though this was all a rather interesting day-trip.

"Over here," he said. He gave his thestral a quick, grateful pat, then led the way quickly to the battered telephone box and opened the door. "Come _on_!" he urged the others as they hesitated.

Ron and Ginny marched over obediently, Riley not far behind. Hermione, Neville and Luna squashed in behind after them, Aria being the last to squeeze in. Harry took one glance back at the thestrals, now foraging for scraps of rotten food inside the dumpster, then forced himself into the box after Luna.

"Whoever's nearest the receiver, dial six two four four two!" he said.

Ron did it, his arm bent bizarrely to reach the dial. As it whirred back into place the cool female voice sounded inside the box, "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger," Harry said very quickly. "Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Riley O'Malley, Aria Hardwick... We're here to save someone, unless your Ministry can do it first!"

"Thank you," said the cool female voice. "Visitors, please take the badges and attack them to the front of your robes."

Harry took the badges and passed them out after they came out.

"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."

"Fine!" said Harry loudly, as his scar gave another throb. "Now can we _move_?"

A minute later, they were inside. Harry recognized it from his last visit, and by the look on Riley's face, he guessed that she remembered it, too. A chink of soft golden light hit their feet and, widening, rose up their bodies. Harry bent his knees and held his wand as ready as he could in such cramped conditions, peering through the glass to see whether anybody was waiting for them in the Atrium, but it seemed to be completely empty. The light was dimmer than it had been by day. There were no fires burning under the mantelpieces set into the walls, but he saw as the lift slid smoothly to a halt that golden symbols continued to twist sinuously in the dark blue ceiling.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening," said the woman's voice.

The door of the telephone box burst open; Harry toppled out of it, closely followed by Neville and Luna. The only sound in the Atrium was the steady rush of water from the golden fountain, where jets from the wands of the witch and wizard, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and the house-elf's ears were continued to gush into the surrounding pool.

"Come on,"s aid Harry quietly, and the eight of them sprinted off down the hall, Harry in the lead, past the fountain, toward the desk where the security man who had weighed Harry's wand had sat and which was now deserted.

In spite of the lack of security – a matter which disturbed Harry greatly – the rush was easy, as though the place had been specifically deserted for Harry and his friends to run through. Then he saw it, the black door. Harry turned toward the plain black door. After months and months of dreaming about it, here he was at last...

"Let's go," he whispered, and he led the way down the corridor, Luna right behind him, gazing around with her mouth slightly open.

"Okay, listen," said Harry, stopping again within six feet of the door. "Maybe... maybe a couple of people should stay here as a – as a lookout, and –"

"No," Riley said, shaking her head. "Definitely not. Last time we tried something like that, I was restrained, jinxed and hexed, and you got caught."

"She's right, Harry," Aria said with narrowed eyes. "We're coming, too."

There were several murmurs of consent.

"Let's get on with it," said Ron firmly.

Harry still did not want to take them all with him, but it seemed he had no choice. He turned to face the door and walked forward. Just as it had in his dream, it swung open and he marched over the threshold, the others at his heels.

They were standing in a large, circular room. Everything in here was black including the floor and ceiling – identical, unmarked, handle-less black doors were set at intervals all around the black walls, interspersed with branches of candles whose flames burned blue, their cool, shimmering light reflected in the shining marble floor so that it looked as though there was dark water underfoot.

"Cool," Aria said in awe as she looked around.

"Creepy," Riley said, looking around. "You're right though, it's cool, too."

"Someone shut the door," Harry muttered.

He regretted giving this order the moment Neville had obeyed it. Without the long chink of light from the torch-lit corridor behind them, the place became so dark that for a moment the only things they could see were the bunches of shivering blue flames on the walls and their ghostly

"Why do you think the flames are blue?" Luna asked, looking around in awe.

"Well, fire in its purest form isn't red, but blue," Riley explained as she looked around in awe. "My guess is that even though these flames flicker, they're detached from oxygen, but still given some kind of accelerant. When fire meets oxygen, it turns red, kind of like blood."

"You have the most random knowledge ever," Ron said, looking at Riley through narrowed eyes.

Riley grinned.

In his dream, Harry had always walked purposefully across this room to the door immediately opposite the entrance and walked on. But there were around a dozen doors here. Just as he was gazing ahead at the doors opposite him, trying to decide which was the right one, there was a great rumbling noise and the candles began to move sideways. The circular wall was rotating.

Hermione grabbed Harry's arm as though frightened the floor might move too, but it did not. For a few seconds, the blue flames around them were blurred to resemble neon lines as the walls sped around them and then, quite as suddenly as it had started, the rumbling stopped and everything became stationary again.

"What was that about?" whispered Ron fearfully.

"These Ministry guys are really smart for stupid people," Riley said in awe and with a smile. "It's brilliant actually. You'd have to know exactly where you want to go. And be able to keep up with those moving doors to get there."

"How're we going to get back now?" asked Neville uncomfortably.

"Well, that doesn't matter now," said Harry forcefully, blinking to try and erase the blue lines from his vision, and clutching his wand tighter than ever. "We don't need to get out till we've found Sirius –"

"Where do we go, then, Harry?" Ron asked.

"I don't –" Harry began. He swallowed. "In the dreams I went through the door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room – that's this one – and then I went through another door into a room that kind of... glitters. We should try a few doors," he said hastily. "I'll know the right way when I see it. C'mon."

They spent the next several minutes checking out doors, several failing, and everyone beginning to grow more and more confused, and even desperate. After coming across a tank of brains, Riley spent about five minutes throwing up, and Harry wondered again whether Riley was really a witch or Muggle, but after seeing Aria's reaction – which wasn't much better than Riley's, she just held the vomit in – he realized that his lack of caring probably came from his determination to find Sirius.

Then, Harry heard something, like people talking or singing. They were voices, but he couldn't tell whose.

"What are you saying?" he said very loudly, so that the words echoed all around the surrounding stone benches.

"Nobody's talking, Harry!" said Hermione, now moving over to him.

"Someone's whispering behind there," he said, moving out of her reach and continuing to frown at the veil. "Is that you, Ron?"

"I'm here, mate," said Ron, appearing around the side of the archway.

"Can't anyone here it?" Harry demanded, for their whispering and murmuring was becoming louder; without really meaning to put it there, he found his food was on the dais.

"I can hear them, too," breathed Luna, joining him around the side of the archway and gazing at the swaying veil.

"So can I," Riley said, her eyes glued to the archway in awe.

"Me, too," Aria said, sounding almost weirded out

"What do you mean, _'in there'_?" demanded Hermione, jumping down from the bottom step and sounding much angrier than the occasion warranted. "There isn't any _'in there'_, it's just an archway, there's no room for anybody to be there – Harry, stop it, come away –" She grabbed his arm and pulled, but he resisted. "Harry, we are supposed to be here for Sirius!" she said in a high-pitched, strained voice.

"Sirius," Harry repeated, still gazing, mesmerized, at the continuous swaying veil. "Yeah..."

And then something slid back into place in his brain: Sirius, captured, bound and tortured, and he was staring at this archway... He took several paces back from the dais and wrenched his eyes from the veil.

"Let's go," he said.

"That's what I've been trying to – well, come on, then!" said Hermione, and she led the way back around the dais. On the other side, Ginny and Neville were staring, apparently entranced, at the veil, too. Aria managed to break them all away from it and they followed after their friends.

"What d'you reckon that arch was?" Harry asked Hermione as they regained the dark circular room.  
"I don't know, but whatever it was, it was dangerous," she said firmly, again inscribing a fiery cross upon the door.

Once more, the wall spun and became still again. Harry approached a door at random and pushed. It did not move.

"What's wrong?" asked Hermione.

"It's... locked..." said Harry, throwing his weight at the door, but it did not budge.

"This is it, then, isn't it?" said Ron excitedly, joining Harry in an attempt to force the door open. "Bound to be!"

"Get out of the way!" said Hermione sharply. She pointed her wand at the place where a look would have been on an ordinary door and said, "Alohamora!"

Nothing happened. (1)

Harry moved on tot he next door and slid it open. "This is it!"

He knew it at once by the beautiful, dancing, diamond-sparkling light. As Harry's yes became more accustomed to the brilliant glare he saw clocks gleaming from every surface, large and small, grandfather and carriage, hanging in spaces between the bookcases or standing on desks ranging the length of the room, so that a busy, relentless ticking filled the place like thousands of minuscule, marching footsteps. The source of the dancing, diamond-bright light was a towering crystal bell jar that stood at the end of the room.

"This way!"

Harry's heart was pumping frantically now that he knew they were on the right track. He led the way forward down the narrow space between the lines of the desks, heading, as he had done in his dream, for the source of the light, the crystal bell jar quite as tall as he was that stood on a desk and appeared to be full of a billowing, glittering wind.

"Oh look!" said Ginny, as they drew nearer, pointing at the very hart of the bell jar.

Drifting along in the sparkling current inside was a tiny, jewel-bright egg. As it rose in the jar, it cracked open and a hummingbird emerged, which was carried to the very top of the jar, but as it fell on the draft, its feathers became bedraggled and damp again, and by the time it had been born back to the bottom of the jar it had been enclosed once more in its egg.

"Keep going!" said Harry sharply, because Ginny showed signs of wanting to stop and watch the egg's progress back into a bird.

"You dawdled enough by that old arch!" she said crossly, but followed him past the bell jar to the only door behind it.

"This is it," Harry said again, and his heart was now pumping so hard and fast he felt it must interfere with his speech. "It's through here –"

He glanced around at them all. They had their wands out and looked suddenly serious and anxious. He looked back at the door and pushed. It swung open.

They were there, they had found the place: high as a church and full of nothing but towering shelves covered in small, dusty, glass orbs. They glimmered dully in the light issuing from more candle brackets set at intervals along the shelves. Like those in the circular room behind them, their flames were burning blue. The room was very cold.

Harry edged forward and peered down one of the shadowy aisles between two rows of shelves. He could not hear anything not see the slightest sign of movement.

"You said it was row ninety-seven," whispered Hermione.

"Yeah," breathed Harry,. Looking up at the end of the closest row. Beneath the branch of blue-glowing candles protruding from it glimmered the silver figure FIFTY-THREE.

"We need to go right, I think," whispered Hermione, squinting to the next row. "Yes... that's fifty-four..."

"Keep your wands out," Harry said softly.

Riley and Aria were walking beside one another, looking in either direction with awe. Riley smiled and said, "Imagine what would happen if I got angry _in here_."

"Don't even think that," Aria said as she rolled her eyes. "We'd never make it out of here."

They crept forwad, staring behind them as they went on down the long alley sof shelves, the farther ends of which were in near total darkness. Tiny, yellowing labels had been stuck beneath each glass orb on the shelf. Some of them had a weird, liquid glow; others were as dull and dark within as blown lightbulbs.

They passed row eighty-four... eighty-five... Harry was listening hard for the slightest sound of movement, but Sirius might be gagged now, or else unconscious... or, said an unbidden voice inside his head, he might already be dead...

"I'd have felt it, he told himself, his heart now hammering against his Adam's apple. I'd already know...

"Ninety-seven!" whispered Hermione.

They stood grouped round the end of the row, gazing down the alley beside it. There was nobody there.

"He's right down at the end," said Harry, whose mouth had become slightly dry. "You can't see properly from here..."

Riley didn't move as the others went racing down, her eyes filled with pain and regret. Aria stayed with her, both girls sharing the same expression.

"Do you smell that?" Riley asked blandly.

"No," Aria said in a dry voice.

"Exactly," Riley said in a sigh.

"Harry?" said Hermione tentatively when they found nothing.

"Somewhere about... here..." he said.

They had reached the end of the row and emerged into more dim candlelight. There was nobody there at all. All was echoing, dusty silence.

"He might be..." Harry whispered hoarsely, peering down the alley next door. "Or maybe..." He hurried to look down the one beyond that.

"Harry?" said Hermione again.

Riley closed her eyes and Aria turned her head away, unable to watch.

"What?" Harry snarled.

"I... I don't think Sirius is here."

Nobody spoke. Harry did not want to look at any of them. He felt sick. He did not understand why Sirius was not here. He had to be here. This was where he, Harry, had seen him...

He ran up the space at the end of the rows, staring down them. Empty aisle after empty aisle flickered past. He ran the other way, back past his staring companions. There was no sign of Sirius anywhere, nor any hint of a struggle.

"Harry?" Ron called.

"What?"

He did not want to hear what Ron had to say, did not want to hear Ron tell him he had been stupid, or suggest that they ought to go back to Hogwarts. But the heat was rising in his face and he felt as though he would like to skulk down here in the darkness for a long while before facing the brightness of the Atrium above and the others' accusing stares...

"Have you seen this?" asked Ron.

"What?" said Harry, but eagerly this time – it had to be a sign that Sirius had been there, a clue – he strode back to where they were all standing, a little way down row ninety-seven, but found nothing except Ron staringat one of the dusty glass spheres on the shelves.

"What?" Harry repeated glumly.

"It's – it's got your name on," said Ron.

Harry moved a little closer. Ron was pointing at one of the small glass spheres that glowed with a dull inner light, though it was very dusty and appeared not to have been touched for many years.

"My name?" said Harry blankly.

He stepped forward. Not as tall as Ron, he had to crane his neck to read the yellowish label affixed to the shelf right beneath the dusty glass ball. In spidery writing was written a date of some sixteen yeasr previously, and below that:

S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.

Dark Lord

And (?) Harry Potter

Harry stared at it.

"What is it?" Ron asked, sounding unnerved, :What's your name doing down here?"

He glanced along at the other labels on that stretch of shelf. "I'm not here," he said, sounding perplexed. "None of the rest of us are here..."

"Harry, I don't think you should touch it," said Hermione sharply, as he stretched out his hand.

"Why not?" he said. "It's something to do with me, isn't it?"

"Don't, Harry," said Neville suddenly. Harry looked around at him. Neville's round face was shining slightly with sweat. He looked as though he could not take much more suspense.

Harry looked at the others and saw that Aria was gazing off into the distance, while Riley was standing with her arms folded, looking at him with a serious expression. When their eyes connected, she nodded her consent to him.

"It's got my name on," said Harry. And feeling slightly reckless, he closed his fingers around the dusty ball's surface. He had expected it to feel cold, but it did not. On the contrary, it felt as though it had been lying in the sun for hours, as though the glow of light within was warming it. Expect, even hoping, that something dramatic was going to happen, something exciting that might make their long and dangerous journey worthwhile after all, he lifted the glass ball down from its shelf and stared at it.

Nothing whatsoever happened. The others moved in closer around Harry, gazing at the orb s he brushed it free of the clogging dust.

And then, from right behind them, a drawling voice said, "Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."


	47. Chapter 46: Beyond The Veil

A/N: Okay, now a lot of this chapter is going to be written by myself, although I have to admit that a large portion of it does come directly out of the book. I'm sure people are going to hate me for messing with it, but I wrote this a while ago, and have re-edited it since so that it's longer. There's going to be a lot of stuff in here that Lucius says that really outlines him as a bad guy, and a lot of the stuff that's said in here is straight out of the book, it just may not happen exactly in the same order or way. The beginning of the next chapter will be the same way.

* * *

Chapter Forty-six: Beyond The Veil

* * *

Black shapes were emerging out of thin air all around them, block their way left and right; eyes glinted through slits in hoods, a dozen lit wand tips were pointing directly at their hearts. Ginny gave a gasp of horror.

"To me, Potter," repeated the drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy as he held out his hand, palm up.

Harry's insides plummeted sickeningly. They were trapped and outnumbered two to one.

Aria, who was standing next to Riley, looked around through narrowed eyes. She wasn't alarmed, only intrigued. She was searching the masks of the people surrounding them, hoping that one specific person was here, one specific enemy.

Riley, her hands in her back pockets, looked around through narrowed eyes. She had two wands pointed at her chest, and she knew that on her own, she could get away; but not without endangering the lives of everyone around her.

"To me," Lucius said yet again, this time more firmly and with less suggestion in his voice.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry demanded, his patience running out quickly.

As soon as Harry asked Riley had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She looked at the men around her, heard them laughing. A harsh female voice from the midst of the shadowy figures to Harry's left said triumphantly, "The Dark Lord always knows!"

"Always," Lucius echoed softly. "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."

"I want to know where Sirius is!"

"_I want to know where Sirius is!_" mimicked the woman to his left. She and her fellow Death Eaters had closed in so that they were mere feet away from Harry and the others, the light from their wands dazzling Harry's eyes.

Riley narrowed her eyes as she sniffed the air, not making it obvious what she was doing. Her eyes widened in alarm. She couldn't smell him, not anywhere. "Aria," she whispered under her breath. "Smell for Sirius."

Aria looked alarmed at this, but said nothing as she obeyed. Her eyes widened in alarm, and she glanced over at Riley, her expression confirming Riley's suspicions.

"You've got him," said Harry, ignoring the rising panic in his chest, the dread he had been fighting since they had first entered the ninety-seventh row. "He's here. I know he is."

"_The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo_," said the woman in a horrible, mock-baby voice. Harry felt Ron stir beside him.

"Don't do anything," he muttered. "Not yet–"

The woman who had mimicked him let out a raucous scream of laughter.

"You hear him? You hear him? You hear him? Giving instructions to the other children as though he thinks of fighting us!"

Riley adjusted her sight to the dark, her eyes narrowing as she looked around. She could sense Aria doing the same, but Riley's eyes landed on the only woman, the only female Death Eater in the room. She was standing somewhere behind Lucius, invisible the normal eye, but Riley could see her. She was wearing a black dress, her hair wild and her make-up dark. She looked mad, but Riley sensed something familiar about this woman. She couldn't explain it, until Lucius spoke again.

"Oh, you don't know Potter as I do, Bellatrix."

_Bellatrix!_ Riley's eyes widened in alarm, staring at the woman in a new light. Anger blazed in her eyes and stomach, wanting to spin around and face the woman with every fiber in her body. She could feel her fingers twitch, and she could smell by the feelings in the atmosphere that Aria had been startled as well.

Lucius continued to say, "He has a great weakness for heroics. The Dark Lord understands this about him. _Now give him the prophecy, Potter._"

"I know Sirius is here," said Harry, though panic was causing his chest to constrict and he felt as though he could not breathe properly. "I know you've got him!"

"He isn't here," Riley said in a normal, darkened voice.

"What?" Harry asked, looking at Harry in surprise.

"Is he?" Riley asked through narrowed eyes as she looked at the Death Eaters in front of her. Not bothering to play timid anymore, Riley turned around, only to sense the Death Eaters who had been threatening her with their wands draw closer, as though shocked that she dared move. Riley faced Harry and the other Death Eaters, her eyes narrowed and filled with hatred. "He was never here, just a dream that you all cooked up."

Lucius looked over at Riley with interest, but it was impossible to see her in the darkness to a man with normal eyes. "Who said that?" he asked, looking right at Riley, though she was standing too far in the dark for him to see the details of her face.

"Someone you are _soo_ getting close to pissing off," Riley said through gritted teeth, glaring right at Bellatrix. She didn't care about Lucius at all. It was Bellatrix who she wanted to kill.

"Wait a minute," Bellatrix said as she came into the light, her eyes narrowed to Riley. "I think I recognize that voice. Bring her over, Dolohov."

_Dolohov!_ Aria thought with anger, looking over at the man who killed her parents, the man who was drawing closer to Riley.

"Try to touch me and I'll take that arm off," Riley said, turning her head and opening her mouth as she faced the man.

Dolohov came closer, only to see that her teeth had begun to turn into fangs, and the pupils of her eyes were changing size and shape.

"Don't," Riley said in a low voice, the warning in her words undeniable. Her hands were going in and out of transformation, her nails beginning to turn into claws, but stopped by the small part of sanity she still possessed at this moment. She was so consumed by her anger and lust for revenge that she could barely speak at all."

"She's an Animagus," Dolohov said, looking at Riley in alarm.

"Really?" Lucius asked in surprise. "A Hogwarts student who is an Animagus? How interesting, considering that none of these _children_ could possibly be old enough to be _legal_ Animagi. Seems that Dumbledore's teaching really _was_ lacking."

"Come here," Bellatrix said, holding her wand out and pointing it straight at Riley. "_Imperio!"_

"_No!_" several of the kids yelled, and as Aria took a step forward, Dolohov suddenly ran forward and grabbed a hold onto Aria, Aria's eyes flashing wildly in both panic and anger.

Riley suddenly felt her body go rigid and she was forced to walk over into the light. She was pulled right into the edge of the light, making herself visible to everyone in the room. Bellatrix walked over and looked at Riley through narrowed eyes. Lucius's eyes were wide with shock as he looked at Riley, as though he was seeing a terrible ghost from his.

Bellatrix drew closer, tapping her wand against her shoulder, looking at Riley through narrowed eyes as she said, "Something... There's something about you... Why do I get the feeling I've seen you before?"

"If you had, I would have ripped your intestines out and set them on fire for all of eternity," Riley said through narrowed eyes.

Bellatrix laughed and said, "Gruesome." She turned her head to look at Lucius as she asked in a slightly annoyed tone, "Lucius, who does she remind you of? I, I can't quite put my finger it."

"Helen," Lucius said in a voice caught somewhere between awe and horror.

Bellatrix looked back at Riley with widened eyes, filled with almost delight. "That's right. Now I see it, the bloodtraitor who defied the Dark Lord." She looked down at Riley's right wrist, raised an eyebrow and reached down with her wand. She touched it against the leather wristband, cutting right through it. Riley let out a wince of pain, throwing her head back in pain as Bellatrix cut right through her wristband and into her wrist.

The leather wristband fell to the ground, and Bellatrix took a hold of Riley's right wrist. She let out a horrific laugh that made Riley want to vomit her want to backhand Bellatrix before hitting her. She backed up, walking in an almost drunk-like way, and she said aloud, "Looky, looky what we have here, Lucius." She spoke with a sneer in her voice and a smirk on her face as she walked over. "It seems that we have a Black Raven, alive and flyin'."

"Didn't you and the Dark Lord kill them all, fourteen years ago?" Lucius asked, looking at Bellatrix in surprise. "Fiendfyre, if I remember right."

"That's right," Riley said through narrowed eyes, not bothering to hide the hatred that she felt from her voice. "They killed my parents after they formed the Black Ravens, a secret society dedicated to the downfall of Voldemort and you Death Eaters."

"I remember," Bellatrix said with a smile, as though she loved the taste of the memory. She frowned and then said through narrowed eyes, "Didn't know that Mask had a daughter. Must have been one of her deep, dark secrets, among the many."

"A Black Raven, huh?" Lucius asked as he walked over. "Haven't seen any of those in years. I was under the impression that they were all gone, but I guess not. That tattoo," he said as he looked at Riley's wrist. "Can only be created with a certain spell, and if not done correctly..."

"It kills the person," Riley said, finishing Lucius's sentence. "I know, and yes, I _am_ a real Black Raven, the last one."

"Well, it looks like they're going to be finished off tonight, once and for all," Lucius said. "The Dark Lord hates leaving things unfinished."

"You'll have to kill me after _that_ _bitch_ is dead," Riley said, snarling as she looked at Bellatrix. "Cause I've got some unfinished business with her."

"All right, then," Bellatrix said, spinning her wand in her hand. She suddenly spun to the side and pointed her wand at Riley, just as Riley reached back with her left hand and drew her own wand so fast Harry didn't even see her do it.

"_Avada Kadavra!_" Bellatrix yelled out.

"_Crucio!_" Riley yelled out at the exact same moment.

The two spells hit, and Hermione let out a scream of surprise. Aria's eyes widened with alarm, and Harry stared in total surprise and almost fear. Riley held onto her wand with both hands, as did Bellatrix when she realized that the spell wasn't going in her favor. The connection between the two spells was hard, and refused to give. Everyone stared in surprise, including Lucius, who looked at Riley and Bellatrix as though they were mad and brilliant at the same time.

All of a sudden, the connection between the two spells broke, and both women ended up backing up a few steps, panting. Riley's eyes were narrowed as she looked at Bellatrix, still holding onto her wand and looking as though she could go another round. Bellatrix stared at Riley, wide-eyed as though she had just tasted the most incredible taste ever, the sweetest candy and the most incredible high.

"Well," Bellatrix said, sounding completely satisfied and thrilled. "_Baby girl knows how to pway, I see. Such fun._"

"I'm surprised," Lucius said, looking at Riley in a whole new light. "After all, who would have guessed that Dumbledore teaches his students the Unforgivable Curses?" He narrowed his eyes darkly as he added, "Then again, she _is_ Helen's daughter, so I shouldn't be _too_ surprised."

"Believe it or not, Lucius," Riley said, her eyes glinting as she looked at Bellatrix through narrowed eyes. "I do know a thing or two that even Dumbledore doesn't know I know."

"I can see that," Lucius said with a smile. "That anger... the lust to kill that drove that curse to beat Bellatrix's... the Dark Lord will find that intriguing."

"Well, you can take that offer and shove it up his ass," Riley said, surprising everyone. She narrowed her eyes and said, "I will die sooner than joining the madmen who killed my parents. No, I'm going to kill the lot of you first."

"You can try," Bellatrix laughed.

"Any time, Bellatrix," Riley snapped back in something of a hiss.

Bellatrix's eyes narrowed with interest and Lucius said in a smooth, clear voice, "Now, now, girls, this isn't why we're here. Let us finish, and then you can return to your bloody death-fight. Potter," he said, looking backat Harry. "Give us the prophecy."

"Prophecy, huh?" Harry asked, trying to buy time. "What kind of prophecy?"

"What kind of prophecy?" repeated Bellatrix, the grin fading from her face. "You jest, Harry Potter."

"Nope, not jesting," said Harry, his eyes flickering from Death Eater to Death Eater, looking for a weak link.

Riley began to back up, moving back beside Harry and Aria, her fingers twitching as she prepared to fight.

Harry continued to say, "How come Voldemort wants it?"

Several of the Death Eaters let out low hisses.

"You dare speak his name?" whispered Bellatrix, obviously appalled and enraged.

"Yeah," said Harry, maintaining his tight grip on the glass ball, protecting another attempt to bewitch it from him. "Yeah, I've got no problem saying Vol–"

"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shrieked. "You dare speak his name with your unworthy lips, you dare besmirch it with your half-bloods tongue, you dare–"

"I could say his name for you, if you'd like," Riley said through narrowed eyes. "After all, my blood's as pure as water. _Voldemort_," she said, taunting the Death Eaters consciously, and loving every second of it as they looked at her in utter horror.

"Did you know he's a half-blood, too?" said Harry recklessly, only smiling at Riley's help. "Voldemort? Yeah, his mother was a witch but his dad was Muggle – or has he been telling you lot he's a Pureblood?"

"_STUPEF–_"

"NO!"

A jet of red light had shot from the end of Bellatrix Lestrange's wand, but Malfoy had deflected it. His spell caused hers to hit the shelf a foot to the left of Harry and several of the glass orbs there shattered.

Two figures, pearly white as ghosts, fluid as smoke, unfurled themselves from the fragments of broken glass upon the floor and each to speak. Their voices vied with each other, so that only fragments of what they were saying could be heard over Malfoy and Bellatrix's shouts.

"...at the Solstice will come a new..." said the figure of an old, bearded man.

"DO NOT ATTACK! WE NEED THE PROPHECY!"

"He dared – he dares –" shreaked Bellatrix incoherently. "– He stands there – filthy half-blood –"

'WAIT UNTIL WE'VE GOT THE PROPHECY!" bawled Lucius.

"...and none will come after..." said the figure of a young woman.

The two figures that had burst from the shattered spheres had melted into thin air. Nothing remained of them or their erstwhile homes but fragments of glass upon the floor. They had, however, given Harry an idea. The problem was going to conveying it to the others.

"You haven't told me what's so special about this prophecy I'm supposed to be handing over," he said, playing for time. He moved his foot slowly sideways, feeling around for someone else's.

"Do not play games with us, Potter," said Lucius.

"I'm not playing games," said Harry, half his mind on the conversation, half on his wandering foot. And then he found someone's toes and pressed down upon them. A sharp intake of breath behind him told him that they were Hermione's. He also knew that Riley would be able to hear him because of her freakish hearing; Aria, too. They could help him get the message around.

"What?" she whispered.

"Riley, Aria," Harry whispered, too low for Hermione to pick up on. He saw them glance over at him without moving their heads. "Listen up."

"Dumbledore never told you the reason you bear that scar hidden was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?" Lucius sneered, obviously delighted by this news.

"I – what?" said Harry, and for a moment he quite forgot his plan. "What about my scar?"

"What?" whispered Hermione more urgently behind him. Harry noticed Riley and Aria looking at him expectantly, even with Aria in Dolohov's hands.

"Can this be?" said Lucius, sounding maliciously delighted; some of the Death Eaters were laughing again, and under cover of their laughter, Harry hissed to Hermione, moving his lips as little as possible, "Smash shelves–"

"Dumbledore never told you?" Lucius repeated. "Well, this explains why you didn't come earlier, Potter, the Dark Lord wondered–"

"– when I say go –"

"– you didn't come running when he showed you the place where it was hidden in your dreams. He thought natural curiosity would make you want to hear the exact wording..."

"Did he?" said Harry. Behind him, he felt rather than heard Hermione passing his message to the others and he sought to keep talking, to distract the Death Eaters. He had a strange feeling that Aria and Riley were doing the same, though it was a little harder for Aria to get away with.

"Did he?" said Harry. "So he wanted me to come and get it did he? Why?"

"Why?" Lucius sounded incredulously delighted. "Because the only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom it was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him."

"And why did he want to steal a prophecy about me?"

"About both of you, Potter, about both of you... Haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as a baby?"

Harry stared into the holes through which Lucius's grey eyes were gleaming. Was this prophecy the reason Harry's parents had died, the reason he carried his lightning-bolt scar? Was the answer to all of this clutched in his hand?

"Someone made a prophecy about Voldemort and me?" he said quietly, gazing at Lucius, his fingers, tightening over the warm glass sphere in his hand. It was hardly large than a Snitch, and still gritty with dust. "And he's made me come and get it for him? Why couldn't he come and get it himself?"

"Get it himself?" shrieked Bellatrix on a cackle of mad laughter. "The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are so sweetly ignoring his return? The Dark Lord, reveal himself to the Aurors, when at the moment they are wasting their time on my dear cousin?"

"So he's going you doing his dirty work for him, has he?" said Harry, "Like he tried to get Sturgis to steal it – and Bode?"

"Very good, Potter, very good..." said Malfoy slowly. "But the Dark Lord knows you are not unintell–"

"_NOW!_" yelled Harry.

Seven different voices behind him bellowed, "_REDUCTO!_" Seven curses flew in seven different directions and the shelves opposite them exploded as they hit. The towering structure swayed as a hundred exploded as they hit. The towering structure swayed as a hundred glass spheres burst apart, pearly-white figures unfurled into the air and floated there, their voices echoing from who knew what long-dead past amid the torrent of crashing glass and splintered wood now raining down upon the floor–

"RUN!" Harry yelled, and as the shelves swayed precariously and more glass spheres began to pour from above, he seized a handful of Hermione's robe and dragged her forward, one arm over his head as chunks of shelf and shards of glass thundered down upon them.

Riley raced with Aria, both girls running as fast as they could. Filled with anger and spite, the longing to hurt Bellatrix and Lucius, Riley raced as fast as she could, sending silent spell after silent spell, curse after curse, after as many Death Eaters as she could hit.

Riley could smell the Death Eaters closing in faster and faster, zooming around like insane little bees. Riley turned to look at Aria and said, "Split up."

"Right," Aria said, seconds before transforming into a black cat and leaping forward, running faster than any of the Death Eaters could keep up with.

Likewise, Riley leapt forward and transformed into a wolf. She began to run as fast as she could, no longer thinking about curses, but how to get outnumbered. There was a spell that barely missed her, crashing into a shelf above her. Riley skid to a stop and looked upward, her eyes wide in alarm as it began to come forward. She quickly began to turn around and run down another aisle.

As she did, her eyes widened with alarm. In an instant, she felt a smell drift into the air, a matter of seconds that gave her the chance to jump up, and transform as she spun around and held out her wand.

"_Expelliarmus!_"

"_Avada Kadavra!_"

The two spells hit one another directly in between them, Riley holding onto her wand strongly and refusing to back down, in spite of the wounds that stung like hell all over her body. Lucius Malfoy stood less than ten feet away, holding his wand out right at her heart. The two spells seemed to connect, pushing back and forth against one another.

Suddenly, both let their spells off, at the exact same moment. Riley and Lucius glared at one another, and Lucius said, "Your reflexes are impressive, could have rivaled those of your mother."

"Why am I not surprised that you knew her?" Riley asked through narrowed eyes.

"I know a lot more than you think," Lucius said through glinted eyes.

"So do I," Riley said, her voice dark as she spoke in return. Before Lucius could do anything, Riley gave a wave of her wand and leapt forward, Apparting into the other room, the place where she knew that she could find her friends.

Riley had just Apparated inside, landing on something of an uphill in the center of the room. Riley's eyes widened in alarm when she saw her friends inside, all being held in chokeholds by Death Eaters except for Harry, who was in the center of the room without a wand, only his

Suddenly sensing a presence coming in and out this room, Riley spun around to her right, her wand in her left hand. Someone instantly grabbed her by the wrist and squeezed so tightly that Riley felt her body twist to the side in pain, and her fingers pry open and release the wand. Her eyes wide, Riley looked up into the narrowed eyes of Lucius Malfoy, who was standing less than a foot away from her.

"You look so much like your mother," Lucius said, looking Riley in the eye, refusing to let go of her wrist. "It's almost frightening, how much you look alike."

Riley narrowed her eyes up at Lucius and said darkly, "Sirius said all of the men in the school wanted her, were fascinated by her. Don't tell me _you_ were interested in her, too?"

"She was a third year, I was a seventh year," Lucius answered. "It was just infatuation, never anything more. In fact, most of us thought she must be part veela, the way she attracted all guys. Wasn't, as it turned out."

"What a shame," Riley said snidely.

In response, Lucius twisted Riley's wrist, looking at it. Riley let out a moan of pain as he twisted her wrist in a way that it wasn't meant to be twisted, causing her even more pain than he had been before; but he didn't seem to care about the pain that he was causing her. In fact, he probably did that on purpose. As soon as he caught glimpse of the back of her hand, his eyes widened in something that could have been misconstrued as delight.

"Let her go!" Harry yelled.

"Shut up, _Potter_!" Lucius said, suddenly snapping his wand at Harry and blindsiding him with a spell that knocked him over. Lucius looked back at Riley and said with a smile, "So _you're_ the one." He ran his thumb gently over the back of Riley's hand, causing her to wince in pain as his fingers gently toyed at the fresh wounds, the place where Umbridge's latest detention was still fresh. He ran his thumb over the words and said, "This is the first time..." He looked into Riley's eyes and said with a smirk, "We've really met."

"You're not wrong," Riley said darkly, trying to bite through the pain.

"You could have had him," Lucius said, looking back at Riley's hand. "He wanted you, truly wanted you." Without warning, he suddenly slapped Riley across the left side of her face with his wand, dragging his wand from the base of her left ear down almost to her chin. Riley let out a yell of pain as the skin ripped right open, and blood began to ooze down the side of her face.

"_Riley!_" all of Riley's friends yelled in panic, including Harry, who wanted to run to her side and help her, not that he could.

The Death Eaters just laughed, obviously amused by the show.

Riley left her head to the side, not moving it as Lucius looked at her through hateful eyes, saying with a sneer, "Yet you passed him over for that bloodtraitor, Fred Weasley. Your blood may be as pure as mine, but you're nothing more than a rat."

Riley kept her head turned, then turned her head to look at Lucius. But her eyes weren't filled with fear or panic now. She didn't even seem to feel the pain. She just stared at him with a steady look, the same one that she'd shown Fred that day when he'd punched her at the Quidditch game, one of pure spite, anger and dislike.

"Like father like son," Riley muttered, causing Lucius's eyes to widen in anger and alarm. Riley opened her mouth and said, her fangs bearing as she did, "If your son couldn't kill me, or even break me, then you never will. You're a coward and he's gutless, so ask me again how I could choose someone like Fred over Draco."

Lucius's eyes blazed with rage, uncontrollable rage. He grabbed Riley by the hair and spun her around, raking his wand across the back of her neck, cutting right through the skin and sending her flying down onto the ground as soon as he released her hair.

"_Riley!_" voices all around yelled once again.

Harry ran over to Riley's side, stopping beside her. "Riley," he said in panic. "Are you okay?"

"Great," Riley muttered, reaching back and setting a hand against the bleeding part of her neck. "Now, I'm _never_ going to get the smell out of my hair."

"Get away from her, Potter," Lucius said as he stormed down. "Now that I'm done with her, hand over that prophecy."

"You've got to be kidding," Harry said in disbelief. "After _that_, I'm supposed to just give you what you want? And you'll let us walk out of here? I'm not stupid, Malfoy!"

"You haven't seen anything yet," Bellatrix laughed as she walked over, her wand out and ready. "That's just Lucius getting warmed up. _I'm nothing_ like Lucius." She looked at Lucius and asked, "May I?"

Lucius nodded, not saying anything.

"Hand over the prophecy, Potter," Bellatrix said, looking at Harry again. "Or I'll show you what Death Eaters can _really_ do to your mind."

"Never," Harry said, prepared for anything.

Or so he thought.

Harry's heart suddenly sank. Neville was scrambling, trying to get away from his captor. "Neville – no –" he began.

One of the largest Death Eaters was holding onto Neville from behind, pinioning his arms to his sides. He struggled and kicked; several of the Death Eaters laughed.

"It's Longbottom, isn't it?" sneered Lucius Malfoy as he walked closer, a look of contempt on his face as he looked Neville up and down. "Well, your grandmother is used to losing family members to our cause... Your death will come as no great shock..."

"Longbottom, is it?" repeated Bellatrix, and a truly evil smile lit her gaunt face. "Why, I believe I had the please of meeting your parents, boy... the same weekend that I met O'Malley's, over here, if I remember correctly."

"I DOE YOU HAB!" roared Neville, who'd been hitting with a Stunning Spell.

Bellatrix smiled as she looked between Neville and Riley, only to say, "Potter, hand over that prophecy, now."

"No," Harry repeated.

"Very well," Bellatrix said. She suddenly raised her wand at Neville and said aloud, "_Imperio!_"

Neville suddenly went rigid, and then turned to look at Riley, raising his wand. His eyes had misted over, no longer in control of his own body as he moved. He then said aloud in a firm, clear voice, not stuttering anymore, "_Crucio!_"

Riley was hit with the spell head-on. It hit her right in the chest as she got up, sending her head flying back, screaming in terror as an unparalleled, agonizing pain surged through her body. She felt as though every part of her body was being ripped into a million people, as though she was being chopped into all kinds of pieces by a chainsaw. She fell backward onto the floor, her body convulsing as her eyes widened in horror.

"Riley!" Aria screamed in panic, unable to pull herself away from her captor as she tried to run after her friend.

"Neville!"

"Riley!"

Voices all over screamed and/or laughed as Riley flopped all over the floor, Harry pinned against the wall with the a spell from Lucius when he tried to go after Riley. Now, he was forced to watch as Riley was tortured, right in front of him.

Bellatrix laughed madly as she continued controlling Neville, as though seeing this as a game. Lucius smiled, clearly satisfied as he watched Riley scream in pain. Bellatrix let off of the spell, Neville stopping for a minute, only for his eyes to widen in horror.

"_Riley!_" Neville yelled in horror as he clutched at his stomach. "_No!_"

"Hand over the prophecy, Potter," Bellatrix said with a smile. "And your friend will die with some semblance of her sanity."

Harry hesitated, only to see Riley, who'd flopped onto her stomach, beginning to push herself up. Her mouth, covered in her own blood as her face hit the floor, was filled with pain, discomfort and determination as she said shakily, "Don't do it, Harry! Don't give it to them."

"What's it going to be, Potter?" Lucius asked, not bothering to take a step forward.

Harry hesitated, and immediately Neville went rigid and sent the same curse after Riley. Riley grabbed at her head, it thrusting back as she screamed in pain. She yelled, "No! No! Not that! Stop it! It's killing me! It's eating me alive!" She then spun over onto her side, writhing uncontrollably in pain.

"Stop it!" Hermione yelled, looking horrified. "You're _killing_ her!"

"Stop it, you sick bastard!" Aria yelled, struggling as hard against Dolohov as possible.

"Hand it over, Potter!" Lucius yelled.

Harry didn't say anything or respond, just continued looking at Riley with horrible. Blood was spurting out of her mouth with each gasp and cough, and he could hear it gurgle inside of her lungs. _Oh gosh,_ he thought in horror. _She's drowning herself in her own blood._

"_Hand it over, Potter!_" Bellatrix yelled.

"No," Riley whispered from where her body had stopped flopping for a moment. She looked up at Harry with pain and disorientation. "Don't... give them..."

"Shut up and dance for us again!" Bellatrix laughed, and Neville shot the spell at her once again, causing Riley to scream louder than ever. Ron, Hermione and Ginny all looked away, unable to watch, while Luna looked mortified and Aria looked ready to murder.

"_NOW, POTTER!_"

"All right!" Harry yelled, closing his eyes.

Bellatrix suddenly released the spell on Neville, and Riley's body lay still on the ground. This time, she didn't get up, didn't talk at all. Harry even wondered if she was still breathing. The spell on him was released, and Harry immediately ran over to where Riley lay, kneeling beside her and trying to turn her over to face him.

"Riley?" Harry asked worriedly. "Riley, can you hear me?"

Riley looked at Harry through almost completely closed eyes, blood draining from the side of her face and mouth, as well as her neck. She was going to bleed to death at this rate.

"-arry," she whispered. "Don't..."

"Potter."

Harry looked up and saw Lucius Malfoy standing above them, hovering over him with expecting eyes. He had a hand held out, his wand in the other, and he asked, "Are you going to give me the prophecy, or are you going to make Bellatrix kill your friend, though personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the little bitch die?"

Harry hesitated, looking from Lucius to Riley, his eyes filled with panic and confusion. Riley's eyes were growing mistier, until finally they closed, and her body went limp. It was then that Harry knew what he had to do.

Harry stood up and held the prophecy out to Lucius, who took it and held it, a triumphant look in his eyes. "Good," he said with a smirk on his face, the same smile that Harry realize exactly how he and Draco were related. "Say good-bye to your friend, Potter." He pointed his wand right at Riley's head and he began to say aloud, "_Avada-_"

All of a sudden, before Lucius could finish the curse, a flash of light blew from out of nowhere, sending both Harry and Lucius flying through the air. Harry hit the ground with a thud, and when he looked up, he saw Fred Weasley standing where Lucius and Riley had argued earlier, right in front of the hollow archway, his eyes narrowed with spite. From out of the open archway came shapes, misty shapes as they zoomed around the room, turning into the members of the Order of the Phoenix right in front of his eyes; though none looked more determined and dangerous right now than Fred, standing with his wand pointed right at Lucius's head.

Then he said in a clear, strong voice, "Get the hell away from my girlfriend."


	48. Chapter 47: To St Mungo's

A/N: I understand that in the real book, everyone goes back to the school, but in here, I'm having everyone go to St. Mungo's. You don't really have surgeons at Hogwarts, or oxygen masks most of the time, so bare with me.

* * *

Chapter Forty-seven: To St. Mungo's

"Get the hell away from my girlfriend."

George, who had appeared in front of Dolohov and swiped out at him with his wand – Aria coordinating perfectly by ducking at the right moment – and Dolohov disappeared in a black wisp, flying around at incredible speeds, spun around, along with Aria, and stared at Fred in shock.

"_What?!_" they yelled in disbelief.

A spell suddenly shot out of Fred's wand that sent Lucius Malfoy flying across the room. Aria looked around in alarm and saw that other members of the Order had begun appearing from out of nowhere, including Lucius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, Fred, George and Kingsley. Death Eaters, including Bellatrix, who had released Neville in an attempt to face Fred after his arrival, gave an almost 'hiss' and disappeared, Tonks chasing after her.

Aria withdrew her wand and shot a Stunning spell after Avery, only for him to miss it as he disappeared. George sent one after Dolohov, who had suddenly appeared near Aria again, and the Death Eater disappeared right before it hit him. Aria felt angry, wanting to be left alone with Dolohov more than almost anything, but her mind was on one thing.

"Riley!" Aria exclaimed, running over to Riley's side. She knelt down beside her friend, George following her, but sending spell after spell around the room in an attempt to give Aria the time she needed. Fred had run over and was already looking her over.

"This is bad," Fred said, his eyes wide.

Aria looked down and saw with horror that Riley's eyes had closed, and weren't opening. Blood was still draining from her neck and cheek. Fred had unknowingly placed his hand on her bleeding neck, and when he pulled his hand out to look at it in disgust, Aria saw that it was covered in a lot of blood, too much.

"We have to get her out of here," Fred said in panic.

"Go," a voice said. Aria looked up to see Lupin standing there, a panicked look on her face. "I want all of you to get together and Apparate out of here. Go to St. Mungo's, get help."

"I'm not going anywhere without Harry," Aria said determinedly.

"Go!" George insisted.

Aria stood up and looked at George angrily. "I'm coming back, George."

"Aria, if I've ever asked anything of you, _please go now!_" George exclaimed. He leaned over, kissed her, and then pulled back just in time to send a curse after another Death Eater.

Aria hesitated, then yelled, "Luna! Ginny! Neville! Ron! Hermione!"

The five began to make their way over, Ginny and Hermione sending several attacks at Death Eaters who clearly hadn't expected to get attacked by girls of their age. They all ran over, and Aria said, "Hold onto my arm, and whatever you do, _don't let go._" When they obeyed, Aria and Fred Apparated at the exact same moment.

After an extremely nausiating ride, the two groups landed in St. Mungo's main entrance. The witch at the main counter let out a scream of surprise when eight people suddenly appeared from nowhere, only to yell when she saw Riley on the ground, blood spilling everywhere.

"Get help now!" Fred yelled angrily, growing tired quickly of screaming.

The woman pressed her wand to her neck and said in a loud, echoing voice, "We need emergency help in the main room _now!_"

It only took a matter of seconds for a group of witches and wizards to come in, levitate Riley, and carry her into another room. Two witches came in to help the others, none of whom had any major wounds. They were bleeding, but the only one who seemed seriously bad off was Neville, and it wasn't physically.

"I killed her," Neville said, his eyes wide and his voice terrified. "I used the Cruciatus Curse on Riley, I killed her."

"She's not dead, Neville," Aria said from the bed across from Neville. Each of the kids were on a bed, being attended to by a nurse or doctor. Riley wasn't in the room, nor was Fred, which concerned Aria more than she would admit to Neville, especially in his current frame of mind. Her words did little to comfort him, and Aria knew that nothing would. He just continued muttering to himself, obviously mortified.

Aria's mind rested on Riley. She knew that she'd spoken confidently to Neville, and all she could do was pray that she hadn't lied to him. Riley had lost a lot of blood, and undergone the Cruciatus curse. There was no telling just what damage she'd suffered. Aria closed her eyes, doing all she could to keep herself from crying as she imagined Riley on the ground, writhing, convulsing and screaming in agony. She'd never seen Riley like that, never. In all of the time she'd known her, she'd never known such pain, and Bellatrix Lestrange had taken enjoyment out of it. She'd found it funny, enjoyable even, to watch Riley undergo the same pain that she'd wreaked upon Neville's parents, to force Neville to use the same curse that had left Neville's parents permanently incapacitated. How could someone do that?

Then again, Riley had used the same curse at Bellatrix.

Aria opened her eyes, which had shadowed over. She'd hoped that Riley had grown past her rage, past her need for vengeance. For years, ever since Riley had burned that mark upon her right wrist, Riley had learned everything she could about Bellatrix Lestrange, about how to defeat her. All she wanted was to see the woman buried, sometimes to the point that it scared Aria, that Aria feared it would take Riley away from her. They'd been best friends since they were little, but when Riley came around the subject of Bellatrix, she changed completely. Aria had seen that change first hand again tonight, never seen Riley use an Unforgivable Curse. Aria had known that if put in a position where she faced Bellatrix, there wouldn't be anything that could stop Riley from using one. She had the anger, the lust for pain... All she needed was the opportunity, and tonight it had presented itself. Hermione had been terrified, Ginny mortified, Luna awed but disturbed, and Neville terrified almost as much as Hermione. Aria had been scared, but only because she was afraid that Riley would go beyond the point of return.

But Lucius Malfoy had brought her back, made her who she was by bringing back the problems of Riley's life. A horrible thought came to Aria's mind as she realized that, had Lucius not done so, Riley probably would have killed Bellatrix. That look in her eyes, it had been there... She could have done it. Seeing Riley the way she had tonight, Riley wasn't sure that their friends would ever really accept her again. Could they? After seeing Riley in that way? Riley hadn't been herself, had been a different person altogether. Would the others be able to move past that person, past the memory, and see her for who she really was?

Hermione, who'd hurt her arm, was up and walking around, her mind clearly on Harry. Ginny was sitting at the back of her bed, on the bed to the right side of Neville, on Aria's left. Her knees were pulled up, her leg bandaged, and her arms folded as she looked at her knees. Luna was looking up at the ceiling, examining the area. Aria marveled at how spacey the girl was, and yet envied it. To not have a care, how wonderful a feeling that must be in times like this.

Suddenly, Aria longed for George to come to her, for him to be there and hug her while telling her that things were going to be all right, to feel that sense of security. She wondered if she should return to the Ministry, but then she remembered the look on George's face, and she sighed, trusting that he was doing what he was doing for the right reason. She wanted to be there, to protect Harry and George, to get vengeance on Bellatrix and Dolohov. But of all the emotions that Aria felt, exhaustion was ranked at the top.

Once the nurse had left Aria alone, Aria pulled herself back onto the bed, lying down and on her side, pulling her arm up underneath her head. She pulled her knees up underneath her in something of a fetal position, just wanting to sleep. But she wouldn't let herself, not until she knew that Riley and George were okay. Then, then she'd let herself fall asleep.

Aria let out a sigh as she felt every muscle in her body try to relax, sore from the tension that had gathered over the last few hours. How had it come to this? She could just picture Dumbledore's face, remember him as he approached her and Riley this past summer, and she realized just what he'd meant.

* * *

"Wait a minute, run that by us again?" Riley asked, looking up at Dumbledore with disbelief in her eyes, as well as something of confusion. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, while Aria was standing, the girls standing at an angle that made a triangle with Dumbledore.

Aria looked at Dumbledore with uncertain eyes. The last place she'd expected Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, to show up in was the hotel room that she and Aria were sharing in London. The girls had come for Riley's expulsion hearing earlier that day, and were now being approached by the great and powerful wizard. Sunny, Riley's new owl, was sitting on a lampshade in the far corner, looking around curiously. Their trunks were sitting at the ends of their beds, open carelessly and exposing their potions, jars, books and clothes.

Dumbledore looked at both girls with interest, his eyes twinkling as he said with a kind voice, "I would like for the two of you to come and attend Hogwarts."

"Why?" Riley asked, sounding rather rude.

"Riley!" Aria snapped.

"Well?" Riley asked, looking at Aria. "It's not an insane question for me to ask. I mean, I just **barely** escaped Azkaban." She looked back at Dumbledore, who didn't seem offended at all.

"No, it's not an insane question," Dumbledore agreed, his hands folded in front of him. "In fact, I expected you to ask this. I would like you two to come and join my Order, the Order of the Phoenix."

"Are you serious?" Aria asked in surprise, looking at Dumbledore with interest.

"Yes, I believe I am," Dumbledore said, smiling at Aria.

"Well, two things complicate that," Riley said, frowning. "For me, at least. One of them is that we're underage witches, given that I'll be of age in four months. The second is that I'm already a Black Raven."

"This, I was more than aware of," Dumbledore said, nodding to Riley. "We spoke about that last year. No, the offer to join the Order is for Aria," he said, nodding to Aria. He then looked back at Riley and said, "But I would like for you to be an ally of the Order, and you're more than welcome to attend any and all meetings that you can possibly be present for."

"Why do you want us?" Riley asked, not bothering to hide her confusion or dismay.

"You two are both very powerful witches who show no signs of fear or intimidation of Voldemort," Dumbledore said, looking between the girls. They both frowned at the mention of the Dark Lord, and Dumbledore continued to say, "You are close friends with Harry and the Weasleys, and I believe that you would be an asset to our Order. Also, since you are no longer attending Silvergates, you have the chance to come to Hogwarts without reservations. You will be attending school with your friends, fighting Voldemort, and you will be able to learn magic as well."

"How long have you been planning this?" Riley asked, her eyes narrowed as she looked up at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore shook his head and said, "I originally thought of this earlier this past year, when I first saw you after the First Task, but I did not plan to go through with this offer until a week ago when I heard of your expulsion, and quite frankly, my dear, considering your case, I'm not surprised at all that you were expelled."

Riley didn't argue with that.

Aria frowned and asked, "There's more to all of this, isn't there?"

Dumbledore frowned when he looked at Aria and said, "Yes, I'm afraid there is. Should you decide to come to Hogwarts, you will not be allowed to tell anyone about your involvement with the Order. Should you accept my offer, Aria, you cannot tell anyone, even Mr. Weasley, that you are a member." Aria blushed slightly, and Dumbledore continued to say, "Also, I would like you two to keep an eye out on Harry and his friends. The Ministry is seeing fit to interfere with Hogwarts this year, and as such, no good can come of it. I'm sure that there will be some sort of action to occur this year, and I don't want Harry to be caught up in too much trouble. I don't want him acting on impulse instead of brains, and I've seen first-hand that the two of you can calm him down, get him to think. Should he act, I know that you two can take care of yourselves and others, and you can help him get through."

"Do you not expect to be around the entire year?" Riley asked, sounding confused.

Dumbledore looked at Riley and said, "Nothing is ever for certain. I hope to be around to help him, but there are no guarantees. You two will be able to me my contacts from within the students. The teachers can inform me of what is going on only to a certain point. You two will help me from there on out. I would like your help very much, because I think that it will help protect Harry in the long-run, as well as the others at Hogwarts."

Aria looked over at Riley for a moment, who'd glanced at her, and Aria looked back at Dumbledore. "If Riley is willing to go," she said clearly and in a serious voice, "I'll go. I would be more than proud to join the Order."

Riley looked down from where she was sitting, looking at the floor. She then looked up and said, "My parents were allies with the Order, and I'd be happy to do the same."

"I'm glad to hear this," Dumbledore said, though his eyes were all but happy. "But I must remind you that, with Voldemort

"I'm in," Aria said, shrugging. "There's no way to escape danger when Voldemort's alive and active. I want to protect my friends while facing that danger."

"So do I," Riley said, standing up straight for the first time since Dumbledore had arrived.

Dumbledore smiled, looking obviously pleased. "Very good. Now, may I impose upon you to try a few of those jelly jeans? I've heard they're quite good and do not taste like earwax or vomit..."

* * *

Aria felt someone shake her shoulder, and shot upward to see Ginny standing by her bed, a concerned look on her face. Aria looked around, and judging by how heavy her eyes were, she realized that she must have fallen asleep.

"What happened?" Aria moaned, feeling exhausted.

"You fell asleep a couple of of hours ago," Ginny said, looking at Aria with sympathy.

"_Hours_?" Aria asked, confused. "How long have we been here?"

"Two hours," Ginny said with a frown.

Aria's eyes widened in alarm, and she was suddenly awake. "And Riley –"

Ginny shrugged and said, "Still don't know. No one's come in and said anything. I was just coming back when I –"

"Ginny!" a voice suddenly wailed. "Where's my baby girl?"

Aria looked over and raised an eyebrow in surprise when she saw Mrs. Weasley running into the room with Mr. Weasley, looking hysterical. Mrs. Weasley ran right up to Ginny and threw her arms around her, holding her close.

"Mom, I'm all right!" Ginny said, almost choking as she talked.

"I can't believe I've had to come down twice in a year to see my family in the hospital," Mrs. Weasley cried, and then let Ginny go to run over to the other side of the room and throw her arms around Ron, who had seen what she'd done to Ginny and prepared herself.

Mr. Weasley sighed and hugged Ginny more gently, also because he was still sore from his own wounds from several months ago. "How are you, Ginny?" he asked easily.

"I'm okay, Dad," Ginny said in a sigh. "It's Riley that's the problem."

"Riley?" Mrs. Weasley asked in surprise, looking over from where she was standing near Ron's bed. "Whats' wrong with her?"

Neville suddenly burst into sobs, and by the redness of his eyes, Aria guessed that it wasn't the first time. She sighed and explained the whole story, from beginning to end, minus the part about Fred calling Riley his girlfriend. She wanted to interrogate him first before telling his mother that. By the time that Aria had finished, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked horrified.

"You all must have been lucky to get away with your lives!" Mrs. Weasley cried, hugging Ron all over again, in spite of his flailing arms. "I can't believe it! All of my fears have come true."

Aria and the others smiled, trying not to laugh, except for Neville, who was still sobbing. Mr. Weasley frowned and said, "Darn that Lucius Malfoy. If I ever get my hands on him..."

"Get in line," Aria said, standing up, in spite of her soreness. "If I ever see him again, the Azkaban guards and dementors had better be around to protect him from _me_."

"Not to mention what _Fred_ would do," Ginny said under her breath with a smile at Aria.

Aria smiled back, but said nothing.

"Where's Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking around.

"Still out in the field," a voice said.

Aria turned her head and saw Fred entering the room for the first time, looking exhausted. He had his hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched, and held up his hands defensively when his mom came at him, trying to hug him.

"Please, Mum, don't," Fred muttered, looking exhausted. "Not now."

"How's Riley?" Ginny asked worriedly, voicing Aria's thoughts.

"I _think_ she'll be all right," Fred said, looking over at them as he walked further in. They were taking care of her, using spells, potions, stitches, I think some other stuff that I didn't see. They've got her on this oxygen thing that they used back when she almost died last year."

"She can't breathe on her own?" Aria asked worriedly.

That sent Neville into a whole other parade of crying.

Fred closed his eyes and tried to block out the noise of Neville's tears, and he said, "I think it's just because her body's so worn out. When she starts to get stronger, she'll start breathing on her own, _I hope_."

"Neville, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, walking over to Neville. "Where's your gran? Has she been called?"

Neville shrugged and said, "I don't know."

"I'm here," a scraggly voice said.

Aria turned her head and raised an eyebrow in surprise when she saw Neville's grandmother storm in, walking over to Neville. She took a hold of Neville and said, "My boy, you've done good. You would have made your parents proud, standing up to You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters."

Aria felt sympathy for Neville as he tried to nod without crying even more. Clearly, his gran didn't know the entire story, and Aria hoped it would stay that way. This was the first time that she'd ever seemed proud of her grandson, and Aria knew that for now, that was good enough.

Aria turned her head when she heard the sound of footsteps, and hope rose in her when she saw Albus Dumbledore, Lupin, Harry, George, Tonks, Kingsley and Moody walk (stump in Moody's case) into the room. Aria's eyes narrowed with horror when she saw that Sirius wasn't among them, and grief struck her when she saw her suspicions confirmed in Harry's face. She lowered her head, feeling as though a truck had just been dropped on her, and she struggled not to cry in grief. She hadn't been close to the man, but she had admired him, a lot.

"Harry, dear!" Mrs. Weasley cried, running over to Harry and hugging them. Then she turned to hug George, who tolerated it long enough for Mrs. Weasley to get off of him.

Once she was finished hugging George, he walked over to Aria, a sad look on her face, and she whispered, "Sirius?" He blinked in agreement, and she covered her mouth, closing her eyes in an attempt not to cry. George wrapped his arms around her in a hug, holding her close.

"Riley?" Harry asked, looking at Fred.

Fred blinked and said, "Don't know yet, but I think she'll be all right. You okay?"

Harry hesitated, and said, "Sirius is dead."

There were several gasps, and Hermione even whimpered, but no one said anything else. Nothing could be said. George moved to sit behind Aria on the bed, where she'd sat back down to try to stable herself. He set a hand on her left shoulder while holding her right hand in his.

"You've all done a marvelous job tonight," Dumbledore said. "I can't express how proud I am of each one of you, taking the steps you did to take care of one another and do what needed to be done. Still, I feel that we could all use a chance to return to familiarity. I have a Portkey that can transport us all."

"What about Riley?" Ginny asked, frowning.

Dumbledore blinked and said, "She may return as well, once she feels up to it. Until then, I think it's best that we all leave. We are all tired, I'm sure you are all hungry, and I believe we could all do with some decent rest."

There were several murmurs of agreement, but Fred said, "I'm going to stay here until she wakes up."

Aria couldn't help but smile when she saw Mrs. Weasley look from Fred – her mouth gaping open in shock – to her husband, then back at Fred with an ecstatic look on her face as the truth dawned on her for the first time. Aria saw George and Ginny smile, looking down in embarrassment and trying not to say anything.

Dumbledore smiled in amusement and said, "I think that would be all right. Inform us if there are any changes."

Fred nodded.

"Come now," Dumbledore said.

"I'll be along soon," Aria said, holding onto Fred's hand. "I want to see when Aria gets brought in."

"I'm going to stay with her," George piped up. "I'll make sure she comes back safely."

Dumbledore nodded in approval and said, "Very well. Aria, you will be excused of any classes you may miss in the meantime."

Aria nodded in thanks and watched as everyone gathered to disappear with the grab of a Portkey. Once they were gone, Aria and George looked at one another, then stood up and faced Fred with folded arms and raised eyebrows.

"Now," Aria said with a smile. "Let's talk about this 'get the hell away from my girlfriend' comment you made earlier."


	49. Chapter 48: Where Do We Go From Here?

Chapter Forty-eight: Where Do We Go From Here?

The castle seemed very quiet, even for a Sunday. Everybody was clearly out in the sunny grounds, enjoying the end of their exams and the prospect of a last few days of term unhampered by studying or homework. Harry walked slowly along the deserted corridor, peering out of the windows as he went. He could see people messing around it the air over the Quidditch pitch and a couple of students swimming in the lake, accompanied by the giant squid.

"Hi, Harry."

Harry turned his head and blinked in surprise when he saw Aria walking over in her robes, her arms behind her back and her hands folded. She walked on the outside of her feet, as awkwardly as he felt being around her. He wasn't necessarily in the mood to be around people just yet, but something told him that being around Aria would be okay. He hadn't gotten to know Aria quite as well as Harry, and rarely were they ever alone together, but somehow, being around her just felt right at the moment.

"Hi, Aria," Harry said awkwardly.

Aria stopped about five feet away from Harry and smiled shamefully as she said, "I would ask how you are, but that seems like a pretty lousy idea."

Harry couldn't help but smile somewhat as he admitted, "Yeah, just a little." He hesitated, and then said, "You look good."

Aria frowned and said, "I probably look a lot better than I really am. _You_ look terrible."

Harry smiled and said sarcastically, "Thanks."

Aria shrugged and walked over, saying, "Just being honest."

Harry nodded and turned to lean on the rail as he said, "Can't fault you for that. Actually, it's quite refreshing to find someone who doesn't have a hidden agenda."

Aria smiled, her eyes shadowing, and she looked at Harry to say, "Right, I can imagine."

"So," Harry said awkwardly. "You just trying to occupy your time until dinner?"

Aria shook her head and said, "No, until George gets here with that Portkey. I'm not going to go to dinner tonight." She shrugged when she saw Harry's surprised expression. "No point, in my opinion. I know what's happened this year, I don't need to hear it from Dumbledore all over again. Besides, I don't particularly feel like being around people at the moment."

"Can't say I blame you," Harry said with a small smile. "I would love to get out of here."

"You want to?" Aria asked, an eyebrow raised. "I'm going over to St. Mungo's again today."

Harry looked at her in surprise and said, "I didn't realize you were still going."

Aria nodded. "Riley's doing well, and I want to see her." She chuckled and said, "I think Riley's desperate to get out of the hospital, seeing as Fred hasn't left her alone for five minutes a day and an hour of sleep each night. She keeps telling me that she can't even rest and get any sleep because Fred keeps waking her up to ask her if she's all right."

Harry laughed and said, "Those two are the perfect couple."

Aria laughed and said, "Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing how next year pans out."

"So you two are coming back?" Harry asked hopefully.

Aria looked at Harry in surprise and said, "Are you kidding? After what Voldemort and his dirty gang of scumbags did to Riley and Sirius, you can bet I am." She looked over at Harry and saw that he'd flinched. "I'm sorry if mentioning his name is too hard," she said in a sincere voice, but didn't bother taking it back.

Harry looked at Aria in surprise and said, "No, it's just the memory of..."

Aria nodded and said, "You don't have to justify yourself to me, Harry. I know exactly what you're talking about. I've seen my fair share of death, more than I'd like to admit. But frankly," she said in an uncertain voice. "I think seeing Riley facing Bellatrix and Lucius scared me more and left more of an impression than any of the other stuff I've seen."

"Yeah, what was that about?" Harry asked, confused. "I think that that was the one time I've ever been _scared_ of Riley. I've been surprised and concerned, but never _truly_ _scared_."

Aria shrugged and said, "Bellatrix Lestrange killed Riley's parents. Together with Voldemort, they came to break up a meeting of Black Ravens by slaughtering them all. Riley's parents went to defend her and were killed with fiend fire, which burnt the entire house down around Riley. I don't think Voldemort ever knew about her, so he didn't think to try to kill her. Not that it would have mattered, I guess, because the only reason that Riley didn't die in that fire was the fact that her parents had put a charm on her bed that protected her from any harm. At the age of twelve, when Riley got her first wand and found out everything she could about the Black Ravens, she gave herself a tattoo similar to the Dark Mark int hat once it's on you, it can never be taken off. It's an extremely complex spell to work, but she did it within her first year at Durmstrang. Kinda freaked people out, so she hid it underneath that black bracelet, never takes it off. Ever since then, her goal in life has been to see to it that Voldemort dies and Bellatrix Lestrange does, too."

"You know," Harry said, thinking of something, "Sirius told me that the Black Ravens would sometimes resort to the Unforgivable Curses."

Aria nodded. "Yeah. The Black Ravens didn't care about legalities, only saw the big picture. Of course, that doesn't mean that they were going to use them if there were other options, but they were more than prepared to if they needed to, and each knew how to. It scared me when I found Riley looking up information on the curses when we were ten, and she memorized everything about them. I've known for a long time that if Riley ever needed to, she could use those curses, that she's capable of anything when she gets angry enough. But last night was the first time that I saw her _use_ one."

"Yeah," Harry said awkwardly. "I did, too, but mine didn't have the affect that hers did. I –"

Harry was cut off when he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the corridor. Aria and Harry turned their heads to see Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle emerge from a door to their right, the hallway that Harry knew led down tot he Slytherin common room. Harry stopped dead in his comments and place, turning to face them. Sod did the Slytherins. Harry could see Aria flex her fingers, her hand near her wand as she itched to attack.

Malfoy glanced around. Harry knew he was checking for signs of teachers. Then he looked back at Harry and said in a low voice, "You're dead, Potter. You, too, Hardwick."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Funny," he said, "you'd think I'd have stopped walking around..."

"Could be that you're a poltergeist now," Aria said, facing Harry and talking sarcastically. "Hey, maybe you could join Peeves and make life hell for McGonogall and Snape."

"Yeah," Harry agreed sarcastically. "Make the Slytherins miserable for the rest of their lives? That sounds awesome!"

Malfoy looked angrier than Harry had ever seen him when Harry and Aria stopped joking and looked back. He felt a kind of detached satisfaction at the sight of his pale, pointed face contorted with rage.

"You're going to pay," said Malfoy in a low voice barely louder than a whisper. "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to my father..."

Aria was the first to respond, her voice laced with venom and anger as she said darkly, "Believe me, Malfoy, when I say that your father got _less_ than what he deserved, and if you so much as bring him into this conversation once more, I'll rip your gut open and _fry_ your entrails."

Malfoy looked at Aria with narrowed eyes and said, "You're bluffing. You wouldn't dare try something like that and risk getting expelled."

Before Harry could stop her, Aria had her wand out and pointed directly at Malfoy. He saw that her eyes were narrowed and wild as she said in a snide voice, "Oh, _please_, give me a reason not to do it this very second. I _beg_ of you."

"You'd be thrown out of Hogwarts," Malfoy said calmly, though his eyes were on the tip of Aria's wand.

Aria tilted her head to the side and said darkly, "You beat my friend, you snitched on her to Umbridge, you played mind games with her and Fred all year long, played her and left her, then tossed her to your dad for the kill, and now she's in St. Mungo's having just fought for her life. Any punishment would be worth seeing you on a skillet, Malfoy."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes, and Harry said nothing as he watched Crabbe and Goyle squirm. Malfoy opened his mouth and said in a sneer, "Guess I see what Weasley sees in you after all, you're just as much of a cow as he is."

Less than a second later, there was a great flash of light and Malfoy was gone. Instead, there was a pale white pig on the ground, its blue eyes filled with terror. The pig opened its mouth and squealed, only to look horrified and start running in every direction. Crabbe and Goyle let out shrills of horror and began chasing the pig, which only made it run faster. While Harry tried to not laugh, a voice rang out through the halls.

"Potter! Hardwick!"

The voice rang across the entrance hall; Snape had emerged from the staircase leading down to his office, and at the sight of him Harry felt a great rush of hatred beyond anything he felt toward Malfoy... Whatever Dumbledore said, he would never forgive Snape... never...

"What are you doing?" Snape asked as coldly as ever, as he strode to the five of them, Crabbe and Goyle still chasing pig-Malfoy.

"About to butcher and fry us some bacon," Aria said in a pleasant voice.

Harry said nothing, only smirked as he stared hatefully at Snape.

Snape stared at them. "Put that wand away at once, Hardwick," he said curtly. "Twenty points from Gryff –" Snape looked toward the giant hourglass on the walls and gave a sneering smile. "Ah, I see there are no longer any points left in the Gryffindor hourglass to take away. In that case, Potter, Hardwick, we will simply have to –"

"Add some more?"

Professor McGonogall had just stumped up the stone steps into the castle. She was carrying a tartan carpetbag in one hand and leaning heavily on a walking stick with her other, but otherwise looked quite well.

"Professor McGonogall!" said Snape, striding forward. "Out of St. Mungo's, I see!"

"Yes, Professor Snape," said Professor McGonogall, shrugging off her traveling cloak, "I'm quite as good as new. You two – Crabbe – Goyle –" She beckoned them forward imperiously and they came, shuffling their large feet and looking awkward, occasionally glancing over their shoulders to see a very indignant pig staring at them in dislike. "Here," said Professor McGonogall, thrusting her carpetbag into Crabbe's chest and her cloak into Goyle's, "take these up to my office for me." They turned and stumped away up the marble staircase. "Right then," said Professor McGonogall, looking up at the hourglasses on the wall, "well, I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! What you say? Professor Snape?"

"What?" snapped Snape, though Harry knew he had heard perfectly well. "Oh – well – I supposed..."

"So that's fifty each for Potter, the two Weasleys, Longbottom, Hardwick, and Miss Granger," said Professor McGonogall, and a shower of rubies fell down into the bottom bulb of the Gryffindor hourglass as she spoke. "Oh – and fifty for Miss Lovegood, I suppose," she added, and a number of sapphires fell into Ravneclaw's glass. "And of course," she added, looking at Snape, "I won't forget your own student, who has landed herself in St. Mungo's protecting us. Sixty points for Slytherin." Several emeralds fell into the Slytherin container. "Now, you wanted to take ten from Mr. Potter and Ms. Hardwick, I think, Professor Snape – so there we are..." A few rubies returned into the upper bulb, leaving a respectable amount below nonetheless. "Well

"Er – Professor McGonogall?" Snape said awkwardly, looking down at Malfoy-pig.

"Hmm?" Professor McGonogall said, looking at the pig with interest. "I was not aware

Harry and Aria both smiled slightly, both aware that McGonogall knew exactly who the pig was. Snape obviously knew as he said in his normal cold, dry voice, "It's Draco Malfoy, Professor..."

"Oh?" Professor McGonogall asked, raising an eyebrow at the pig. "Very good transfiguration work, although the ears are a bit shoddy... Who did this work? Was it you, Mr. Potter?"

"No, Professor," Harry said, trying not to smile too wide. He pointed at Aria and said, "It was Aria."

Professor McGonogall smiled and said in an impressed tone, "Well, Miss Hardwick, thirty points for hanging around Miss O'Malley for too long and picking up on some good transfigurations." A few more rubies fell into Gryffindor's hourglass. She pulled out her wand and gave a wave of it, and a moment later, Malfoy was back to being a human, though it wasn't as good of a look for him, in Harry's opinion. Professor McGonogall then let out a sigh and said, "Well, Potter, Malfoy, Hardwick, I think you ought to be outside on a glorious day like this." With that, she walked off with a smile. Snape followed a few seconds later after glaring at the three students.

Malfoy glared at Aria and Harry, and when he opened his mouth, Aria held her wand straight up and between her fingers, a seemingly innocent act for any other occasion. Malfoy just narrowed his eyes and stormed off.

"That," Harry said, a smile on his face as he watched Malfoy leave. "Was _brilliant_."

Aria smiled and said, "So Professor McGonogall rewards me for transfiguring Malfoy, huh?" She smiled at Harry and said, "I've got to remember that in the future."

Harry chuckled.

"Aria!"

Harry turned around and saw George walking over with a goblet in his hand. He smiled when she ran up to him and hugged him. He then looked over at Harry and said, "Oy! Hello, Harry. You comin', too."

Harry hesitated, debating, and then said with a smile, "Yeah, sure. Why not? If it gets me out of here."

"Then come over here and take a hold of this," he said, holding the goblet out. "Hang on tight."

A few minutes later, they were standing in the main room of St. Mungo's. Harry felt dizzy and nauseous, as he always did after traveling by Portkey. George and Aria didn't seem to be phased by it at all.

"Come on, Harry," Aria said with a smile. "She's over here."

Harry followed the two away and they were about to walk into the room with at least twenty beds in it, the place where Harry's friends had been the night of the trip to the Department of Mysteries, when a book (a three inch thick one at that) suddenly went flying at Harry, giving him barely enough time to duck.

"What was that for?" Fred's voice rang from the room.

"Out! Out! OUT!" Riley's voice rang loudly. "Get a shower! Go to sleep! Get something to eat! _OUT!!!_"

A moment later, Fred came out of the room, his eyes gleaming in amusement, only to look surprised when he saw them. "Oy, Harry! I didn't know _you_ were coming today."

"Kind of a last minute decision," Harry explained.

"She being difficult again?"

"Are you kidding?" George scoffed with a smile. "She hasn't _stopped_ being difficult."

"I'm gonna go get us some food and take a shower," Fred said with a smile. "Then maybe she won't throw her textbooks at me."

"You mean that isn't a dictionary?" Harry asked with surprise, looking down at the book on the floor.

Aria and Fred laughed, and Aria said, "Goodness, no! If she'd thrown one of her magic library dictionaries at him, he never would have made it out of there alive! We'd be checking _him_ in for a concussion."

"You wouldn't have her any other way, though, would you?" George asked with a smile as he looked at his brother.

Fred smiled in happiness and said, "Never. She's healthy again, that's all I care about." With that, he walked out of the hall and down another hall.

Harry followed Aria and George into the room and was surprised to see Riley sitting with her back leaned back against the wall and pillows. The end of her bed was showered with presents, flowers and candy, which Harry knew had come from mostly the D.A. members. He himself had placed an abnormally large order of twenty pounds of jelly beans from London, a package which Hedwig, Pigwidgeon _and_ Sunny had been forced to deliver together. Riley was wearing a tanktop and jeans, as normal, but she was also hooked up to a thin oxygen mask. This one didn't cover her mouth and nose, only had small tubes that went into her nose. He tried imagining her picking up that book, holding it over her head, and chucking it twenty feet and through the doorway. It wasn't a pleasant image.

In the room, in addition to Riley, were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who all looked ready to laugh at the situation. Riley had the large jar of jelly beans that Harry had paid for in her lap, like she always did when she had them around. She had a very annoyed look on her face, only to brighten when she saw her friends come in.

"Aria! Harry!"

Harry felt guilty as he looked at Riley. It was the first time that he'd seen her, and looking at her now, he couldn't help but feel that he should have given Lucius Malfoy the prophecy first. He thought of Neville and of Neville's parents, what Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom were like now that they had undergone excruciating torture from the Cruciatus curse. Riley could have easily become that, and Neville still hadn't overcome the horror of having been the one to inflict it on Riley. Then again, Harry remembered Lucius Malfoy pointing his wand down at Riley and preparing to kill her, even after Harry had given him the prophecy. Had he given it to him before Fred had arrived, Riley would probably be dead. The uncertainty plagued at Harry almost as much as Sirius's death.

"Hey, Riley," Aria said with a smile as she walked over. "How are you doing?"

Riley smiled and shifted herself in her bed, saying light-heartidly, "Awesome, now that I've got these jelly beans to comfort me." She smiled warmly at Harry, closing her eyes in an almost child-like way as she said brightly, "Thanks, Harry!"

Harry couldn't help but smile when he saw that smile, and he walked over, sitting down on the bed beside Riley's. He watched as she shifted around through the jelly beans until she found yellow ones, popped them into her mouth, and smiled happily.

"You know," George said with a smile as he walked over. "You wound think that with all the time you spent in the hospital, you'd be tired of it by now."

Riley rolled her eyes and gave a very exasperated look. "Oh, believe me, I am," she said with a sigh. "But apparently my lungs are still strengthening up. That's why I have to wear this stupid thing." She pointed to the oxygen mask. She shrugged and said, "Doctors think I can go home in a couple of weeks, though."

"I guess it means another summer at Hogwarts," Aria said with a smile and a sigh.

"Oh, no you don't," Mrs. Weasley said very definitely. "No children – please excuse the expression, I know you're overaged – should be forced to live in that castle alone during the summer."

Riley and Aria smiled at one another and Riley said with a laugh, "It's not like we have a lot of options."

"Oh, yes you do," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. "You'll come leave with us."

Aria, Riley and George all looked at one another with confused expressions. "Excuse me?" Riley asked, looking back at Mrs. Weasley. Mr. Weasley looked as shocked as the kids.

"You heard me," Mrs. Weasley said, nodding. "You have all been very good to my children, especially Fred and George," she added with a smile, looking between Aria and George. She then said, "You will stay with us over the summer."

"Mum," George said awkwardly. "Don't take this in the wrong way, because I would love for them to stay over, but how are we going to be able to do that? We don't have the money."

"We'll find a way to do it," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. "We always do."

"Um, I think I can help in that area," Aria said, raising a hand meekly. Everyone looked at her – only Riley not by fishing through the jelly beans again, this time grabbing green ones – and saw that Aria looked somewhat embarrassed. "I know it may not seem like it, because I don't buy a bunch of stuff, but I'm actually very well off. My parents, before they died, entrusted all of their money to Gringotts, so my parents' money wasn't burned up like Riley's." Riley gave a wave of her hand, not even bothering to look up from the jar of jelly beans, as though she was agreeing and giving her consent, to what Harry did not know. Aria smiled and said, "If you would be willing to let us stay with you, I can pay."

"See?" Mrs. Weasley said with a smile at George, who looked impressed. "Everything will work out."

Mr. Weasley hesitated, and then said with a smile, "Sure, that would be fine with me."

Riley looked up for the first time since she'd become fascinated with the purple jelly beans and said with a smile, "And Aria and I can always get one of those really cool magic tents that take up like fifteen square feet and have twenty rooms in them or whatever."

"Exactly," Mrs. Weasley said, nodding her approval. "See, Arthur? Everything will be okay." She looked at her watch and said excitedly, "Oh! Bill is supposed to be sending us an owl soon. Come, Arthur, I don't want to miss out on it."

"All right, Molly," Mr. Weasley said with a smile. He nodded to George and said, "Don't be late for dinner. Harry, ladies," he said, nodding to the others. "I look forward to seeing you soon. George," he said, looking at his son. "You and Fred can take care of getting their things to the house."

"Sure, Dad," George said, nodding in agreement.

Harry watched as the Weasleys left, suddenly feeling his head spin. Aria and Riley were going to stay with them? Goodness, that house was going to be full when he came around at the end of the summer!

"Hey, Harry," George said, looking at Harry. "Mind helping me with getting their stuff to my house?"

"Uh, sure," Harry said, nodding. He looked at Riley and said, "I'll see you later."

Riley smiled at Harry and said, "Looking forward to it."

Harry then walked off, leaving Aria and Riley alone.

Once the boys were gone, Aria sat down on the edge of Riley's bed, frowning as she looked at the jelly beans. "Find a favorite yet?"

"Definitely the yellow ones," Riley said with a smile. "Though the green aren't bad. The popcorn is _truly_ terrible!" She made a disgusted face. "Not too pleased with the cotton candy either."

"Ooh!" Aria said with interest. "Cotton candy? Where?"

"Here," Riley said, handing Aria a handful of pink jelly beans.

Aria took the jelly beans in her hand and rolled them over, staring at her hand with wonder. Riley frowned, watching her, and asked, "You tell Harry, about us?"

Aria shook her head. "Nope," she said with a sigh, looking up at the ceiling. She then looked at Riley and said, "He told me that it was nice to have someone be honest to him, someone without a hidden agenda."

Riley frowned more deeply and she said, "We can't tell him, Aria, not now."

"I know," Aria said, picking at the jelly beans in her hands. "Still, I feel bad."

"That makes two of us," Riley said, picking at the jelly beans. "But I have a lot more to feel bad about than you do."

Aria frowned as she looked at Riley, and she said, "You crossed a line, Riley. You're lucky you're not in Azkaban for it."

Riley flipped her hair over her shoulder with a wave of her head, and she frowned, looking guilty. "Yeah, well, just another one of the many things I should be there for."

"How did it feel?" Aria asked, and Riley looked at her with a serious expression. Aria explained, "To cross that line, to face Bellatrix on an even level?"

"In all honesty?" Riley asked, sighing. "Scary, but exhilarating. "Believe me, I had no intention of using the Cruciatus Curse when I went there, but in that moment of facing her, it's like all of that rage just came back to me. I wanted her to hurt, to feel the pain."

"I could tell," Aria said. "Probably more than anyone in that room."

"George told me that Harry used the same curse, without much luck," Riley said, frowning seriously.

"Yeah, I guess," Aria said. She smiled and said with a teasing voice, "You'd have been proud of me today."

"Oh?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow with interest. "What for now?"

"I turned Malfoy into a teeny white pig," Aria said with a smile.

Riley chuckled and threw her had back laughing, only to pull it back and say, "Man, I wish I'd seen that."

"On top of it," Aria added with a smile. "McGonogall gave me thirty points for Gryffindor for it."

Riley couldn't hide her grin at this. "That's incredible," she laughed.

"You got sixty for being in here," Aria pointed out.

Riley rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I get sixty for lying in a hospital bed, receiving candy and flowers, eating jelly beans, and breathing through an oxygen mask. That makes a lot of sense," she said sarcastically.

"You should have seen the look on Snape's face," Aria said with a smile, and then frowned when she saw Riley's face drop. "What? What's wrong?"

"I, uh," Riley said awkwardly. "I told Snape."

"What?" Aria asked in disbelief. "You told him about –"

"Yeah," Riley said uncomfortably. "I had just changed and was on my way to meet you guys, to help Harry, and I ran into him. He wasn't going to let me go, and I kind of chewed him out."

"Riley," Aria said in a warning tone.

"I told Dumbledore," Riley said, surprising Aria. "He wasn't thrilled, but he said that of all the people who I could have told, Snape would be the only one it would be all right." She looked at Aria and said seriously, "He really trusts him. Why? I'll never know."

Aria shrugged and said, "Some Dumbledore thing. Who knows when it comes to that man?"

Riley frowned and said in a serious tone, "It's only going to get worse from here on out, Aria. You know that, right?"

Aria nodded and said, "Yeah. Voldemort's at large, Snape knows the truth about us, Harry's still in massive danger, and we're dating the Weasley twins." That got a smile out of Riley, and Aria said with a grin, "Yeah, we're in danger."

"What's worse," Riley said with a smile. "Is that we're going to be living with the Weasley twins."

Aria threw her head back and laughed and said, "Oh yeah, this is going to be one hell of a next year."

_You have no idea,_ Riley thought with a smile.

* * *

A/N: And we're done! Amazing how fast I keep putting these up, huh? If I remember correctly, It's taken me less than a month and a half, two months at the most, to post two stories. That's kinda weird and cool at the same time. Then again... Anyway, onto the next story. Once you're done with this, feel free to move on to the third part of this four-part series: Harry Potter and Our Last Year


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